WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University softball team sent out their seniors in style in Saturday's season finale.
All four Silversword senior position players got base hits and one of them,
Kayla Henmi (Torrance, Calif./South), scored the walk-off winner on a wild pitch to give the Silverswords a heart-stopping 4-3 win over Hawai'i Hilo under dark and cloudy conditions at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park Softball Complex.
The scheduled second game of the doubleheader was called due to rain. The start of the first game was pushed back two hours from its original noon start time to allow the field to dry after rain saturated the field Friday night.
Chaminade improved to 13-34 on the season and 10-25 in the Pacific West Conference, both win totals being the highest since 2013. UH Hilo fell to 29-17 and 22-11.
After starter
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) sat the Vulcans down in order in the top of the first, senior
Rainelle Matsuoka (Honolulu/Kaiser) led off the home-half of the frame with a sharp single to right followed by a walk to Henmi. Two batters later,
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) laced Isabelle Mejia's pitch into center which brought Matsuoka home to put the 'Swords on the board. Then another senior,
Ashlyn Yagin (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) hit a bouncer to the left side which plated Henmi for a 2-0 Chaminade lead. A diving stop by UH Hilo shortstop Kiarra Lincoln prevented a third run from scoring.
The Vulcans got on the board in the third when Lincoln beat Stockslager's throw to first for a two-out infield RBI single.
The 'Swords got the run back in their half of the third, taking advantage of a dropped infield pop-up and a single from senior
Kiana Ulufale (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) which fell between two UH Hilo outfielders in left center. Yagin drove in her second run of the game – her first career multi-RBI contest – with a sacrifice fly, putting Chaminade up 3-1.
UH Hilo replied when Mejia helped herself with a leadoff homer in the fourth, cutting the 'Swords' lead to 3-2.
Stockslager retired 11 straight Vulcans and was one out away from getting the win. But Vevesi Liilii chopped a bouncer which just hopped over the third base bag for a double then Markie Okamoto hit a bouncer up the middle which just eluded the reach of second baseman
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City), allowing Liilii to score the tying run.
Henmi led off the bottom of the seventh with a bouncer into center then moved to second when Ka'akimaka-Moisa was plunked. Ulufale reached via force-out at second, moving Henmi to third with two outs. Then Mejia uncorked her first pitch to Yagin to the backstop, prompting Henmi to race home, just beating out the throw at the plate for the walk-off winner.
After holding the Vulcans to just two hits on the Big Island seven days earlier, Stockslager tossed a five-hitter to earn her second win against UH Hilo in as many starts and improved to 11-15 on the season. In addition to the four seniors and Ka'akimaka-Moisa getting knocks,
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis) singled in the sixth and was hit by a pitch for a PacWest-leading 15th time this season.
Mejia took the loss to fall to 11-4.
It was Chaminade's second win over UH Hilo in as many Saturdays after losing 20 straight to the Vulcans prior to last week's victory on the Big Island. The Silverswords, who took two of three this season, also won the season series for the first time since 2008.
Constant rain fell as the field was being prepped for the second game and with water pooling around the bases, the game was called a wash. With the Vulcans still in the race for an NCAA West Regional bid at No. 9 (top eight receive bids), a make-up date is a possibility although unlikely.
The win gave Chaminade two points in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge and four in the softball portion of the standings. UH Hilo (six points) will need to sweep Hawai'i Pacific (eight points) to win first-place points in softball while a split guarantees the Sharks the first-place points.
Following the rainout announcement, the seniors which includes
Kayla Higuchi (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Aiea), who was Chaminade's scheduled Game 2 starter, were honored. Also recognized was junior outfielder
Maureen Hutchinson (Curtisville, Pa./Deer Lake) who will forgo her final year of athletic eligibility to concentrate on student-teaching next year.
With the likely end of the season, several seniors are among the program leaders in a multitude of categories. Matsuoka departs No. 2 in the school's all-time home run list with 23 and RBI with 84. Her career .514 slugging percentage is third while her 82 runs is a school record. Matsuoka's 1-for-3 afternoon also pushed her career batting average to .303, just one of eight 'Swords with a career average over .300.
Henmi ranks seventh in stolen bases with 17 while Ulufale's nine homers are tied for sixth and her 56 walks are third-highest in school history. Yagin's 17 sacrifice hits rank fifth in program history while Higuchi's 65 career pitching appearances is seventh.
