WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University softball team wrapped up their 21-game season-opening home stand Saturday with another doubleheader split with Dominican University of California at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park.
The Silverswords dropped the first game, 4-3, then salvaged the four-game series split by winning the second, 5-4, on a walk-off bloop single by
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City).
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) continued to swing a hot stick by going 3-for-6 with a run and RBI on the afternoon while
Marlisa Berrelleza (Indio, Calif./Indio) continues to be a source of power by homering for the second straight day.
Chaminade is 10-11 on the year, matching its win total from last season. The 'Swords are also 7-7 in the Pacific West Conference, their most league wins since 2015 when they won nine.
The Penguins are 5-10 on the season and 4-10 in the PacWest.
Game 1
After a scoreless first four innings, the Penguins broke through the ice with a run in the fifth. Then in the 'Swords' half of the inning, Berrelleza was summoned as a pinch-hitter and promptly hit a laser over the fence in dead centerfield which tied it.
But Dominican took the lead on Mady Christensen's ground-rule double in the sixth then added two more in the seven with back-to-back homers to take a 4-1 lead.
The insurance runs proved crucial in the bottom of the seventh as Berrelleza delivered an RBI sacrifice fly then
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis) scored when DUC centerfielder McKenzie Schumacher bobbled Obara's two-out single. However the 'Swords were not able to advance Obara any further.
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) went the distance with two of the four runs allowed being unearned in taking the loss. However the sophomore ace labored most of the game, throwing 123 pitches, just 69 for strikes. She walked five and struck out two. At the dish,
Ashlyn Yagin (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) had two hits as did Ka'akimaka-Moisa and Obara.
Lauren Persi improved to 3-3 in picking up the win.
Game 2
Dominican scored twice in the top of the first but Chaminade had an answer. A dropped catch by catcher Alexis Chinchilla at the plate on Ka'akimaka-Moisa's hit plated the 'Swords' first run. Two batters later,
Makena Kealoha (Corona, Calif./Norco) singled to right with the bases loaded to tie the game then Matsumura lifted a sacrifice fly to center to put Chaminade ahead, 3-2.
'Swords' starter
Michelle Sasaki (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kalaheo) persevered despite allowing the lead-off batter to reach in the fourth and fifth innings. However in the sixth she ran into trouble by loading the bases then walked in the tying run. Stockslager was summoned from the pen but walked in the go-ahead run on the first batter she faced, giving Dominican a 4-3 lead. She managed to avoid more damage by inducing a soft liner to
Rainelle Matsuoka (Honolulu/Kaiser) at third to end the inning.
However Chaminade responded in the bottom of the inning. Pinch-hitter
Alexas Presto-Ahsing (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) led off with a walk then was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Karyna Baldomino (Diamond Bar, Calif./Rowland). Matsuoka then singled to center, moving Presto-Ahsing to third. That brought up the team's most clutch hitter of the series in Ka'akimaka-Moisa who drove a ball to deep right, allowing Presto-Ahsing to score the tying run. It was the sophomore's third game-tying or go-ahead RBI in the series.
After getting through the seventh unscathed the Silverswords got to work in the bottom of the seventh.
Alexis Velazquez (Fontana, Calif./Howard College/Alta Loma HS), mired in 1-for-13 slump, led off the frame with a solid single to center. That was followed by Kealoha's perfect sacrifice bunt and Matsuoka's single that headed toward center but Karitza Reyes' diving stop behind second kept Velazquez at third.
That brought up Obara and after working the count to 2-2, the freshman second baseman lofted a blooper to right center where Schumacher made a diving effort. The ball short-hopped her glove and deflected towards first base, giving Velazquez the opportunity to trot home without a throw and giving Obara her first career walk-off.
Matsuoka and Kealoha each had three hits, a career-high for the latter and career-tying best for the former. Mastumura had two knocks. Stockslager tossed the final 1 1/3 innings to earn the win, improving to 8-4.
Rosa Leguria threw the final four innings but took the loss to fall to 1-2.
Ka'akimaka-Moisa wrapped up an outstanding series. In addition to her clutch hitting, she went 7-for-13 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI and three runs. Her slugging percentage in the series was 1.153. Meanwhile Berrelleza went 3-for-6 in the series with a pair of homers, three driven in and two runs with a series slugging percentage of 1.500 which pushed her season percentage to .741, tied for second in the PacWest.
The Silverswords now play off O'ahu for the first time this season. They open a 15-day, 17-game road trip to the daunting Southern California stretch starting a four-game series Tuesday at Azusa Pacific. Chaminade will also face the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Concordia Irvine, later in the week.
