IRVINE, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team opened a four-game series Friday against nationally-ranked Concorida Irvine, coming away with 9-1 and 4-1 losses at Eagles Softball Field.
Alexis Velazquez (Fontana, Calif./Howard College/Alta Loma HS) hit a solo homer in the back end of the twin bill and has hits in half of the Silverswords' games on their current road trip.
Chaminade fell to 10-17 overall and 7-13 in the Pacific West Conference. Concordia, ranked seventh in the NFCA Division II Poll, is 20-3 and 10-2.
Game 1
The Eagles started their All-American pitcher, Callie Nunes, with her microscopic 0.80 earned run average. The 'Swords countered with
Kayla Higuchi (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Aiea) and her 7.48 ERA. On paper, it seemed to be a mismatch in favor of Nunes. But for three innings, Higuchi was up to the task and kept Concordia off the board.
In fact, it was Chaminade that put up the first digit of the game. Despite having struck out 10 through the first 3 2/3 innings, Nunes lost command of her pitches, plunking
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis), then walking
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) and
Ashlyn Yagin (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) to load the bases and all with two outs.
Makena Kealoha (Corona, Calif./Norco) then walked on four pitches to bring Matsumura home to put the 'Swords up, 1-0. Velazquez nearly put a major stamp on the inning, driving Nunes' pitch to deep left-center but Michelle Lieng made the catch just shy of the wall.
The deficit seemed to wake the Eagles in the bottom of the fourth, getting a three-run homer from Makenzie Graham which chased Higuchi from the circle.
Michelle Sasaki (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kalaheo) came out of the pen and got three straight outs to halt the inning.
Despite surrendering six walks in four innings, Nunes had still not allowed a hit. But
Rainelle Matsuoka (Honolulu/Kaiser) ended her bid for a third no-hitter this year by lacing a single to lead off the fifth. Yagin later hit a bouncer through the left side in the sixth for the Silverswords' second hit.
However Concorida tacked on a run in the fifth then five more in the sixth to end the game via the run rule.
Higuchi took the loss to fall to 1-6.
Nunes improved to 15-2 on the season and struck out a season-high 14. However she faced constant traffic in each inning, walking eight, also a season-high, and hit two batters.
Game 2
Concordia struck in the first on a two-out solo homer by Sydney Sprinkle then added two more in the third for a 3-0 lead.
But Velazquez, who had a hit in her first at-bat of the game, was at it again in the top of the fourth. After just missing a round-tripper in the first game, the junior first baseman deposited Erika Morris' offering over the leftfield wall for her second home run of the year.
After CUI got the run back in its half of the inning, Chaminade threatened in the fifth.
Maureen Hutchinson (Curtisville, Pa./Deer Lake) was hit by a pitch then
Karyna Baldomino (Diamond Bar, Calif./Rowland) got her first career hit, ripping a line-drive double to the wall in left-center. Hutchinson moved to third with Baldomino representing the tying run. But two groundouts ended the inning.
In the seventh, Yagin reached when Sprinkle dropped her pop-up in front of the plate, to bring the tying run with one out. But again, the 'Swords could not get the tying run on base.
Madelyn Stocklager (Torrance, Calif./South) scattered eight hits and struck out six but took the loss to fall to 8-7. Velazquez is 5-for-16 in the current road trip after her two-hit game.
Morris got the win for CUI to improve to 3-1. Jordan Quinn got the final three outs to earn the save, the first for the Eagles as a team this season.
The four-games series concludes Saturday at 12 p.m.
