KANEOHE, O'ahu, Hawai'i –After a season-opening sweep of British Columbia on Tuesday, the Chaminade University softball team took some confidence heading into their Pacific West Conference opener against Hawai'i Pacific University.
However, the Silverswords were brought back to earth Saturday, suffering 4-3 and 8-0 losses to the Sharks at Howard Okita Field.
The 'Swords were walked off in the first game after rallying from down, 3-1, then could not string together consecutive bases runners in the second game.
Chaminade fell to 2-2 on the year and are 0-2 to open conference action. HPU is 7-4 and 2-0 in the PacWest.
Game 1 (HPU 3, CUH 2; 8 inn.)
The Silverswords, who got the lead-off batter in nine of the 12 innings and put runners in scoring position in all 12 during the UBC series, continued their plate efficiency in the first game.
Chaminade opened the scoring in the opening inning when
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) drew a lead-off walk then came home on
Taylor Genera's (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) line-drive single to center.
HPU took advantage of a miscue by the 'Swords in the third when shortstop
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis) and leftfielder
Karyna Baldomino (Diamond Bar, Calif./Rowland) collided on a fly ball to shallow left by leadoff batter Brazzlyn Tovio-Asato. That opened the door for a three-run frame which put the Sharks ahead.
Chaminade replied in the fourth, managing to load the bases with no out. Obara delivered an RBI shot to center which plated Baldomino but it was the only run the 'Swords could get in the frame although they now trailed 3-2.
The 'Swords also benefitted from outstanding defense when catcher
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) erased HPU's Mary Dungey trying to steal second base in the sixth to preserve the one-run deficit.
Down to their last three outs, Chaminade took advantage of three HPU errors which loaded the bases.
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) then tied it on her sacrifice fly to right which scored Matsumura who led off the inning with an error, one of two in the frame by Sharks shortstop Kanoe Tanigawa. In the bottom of the seventh, the Sharks had the winning run at third with one out but Stockslager induced a ground ball and a strikeout to end the game into extra innings.
However in the home half of the eighth, HPU's Cieana Curran led off with a towering triple off the base of the right-center fence followed by Sierra Dias' walk-off fly-ball single hit over the heads of Chaminade's drawn-in outfield.
The 'Swords managed to out-hit the Sharks, 8-7, with Gates-Coyaso getting three knocks – the first three of her career – while
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) getting two. They were also the victims of bad luck with several scalding line drives finding the gloves of HPU outfielders.
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) pitched well enough to win, tossing all eight innings, allowing seven hits and two walks. She struck out two in falling to 0-1.
Ashley Laver got the win to improve to 2-2.
Game 2 (HPU 8, CUH 0; 6 inn.)
HPU opened the scoring in the third inning in nearly the same manner as the final of the first game. Curran led off with a triple to right then came home two batters later on an error for a 1-0 lead.
The Sharks then tacked on six runs in the fifth, the big hit coming on a bases-clearing double by Miki Takara. Four of the runs were unearned.
HPU then got the game-ending, run-rule hit in the sixth on Poli Aina's pinch-hit bloop single to right.
Malia Torres went the distance for the Sharks, allowing just one hit and retired the final nine CUH batters to improve to 4-2 on the season.
After posting 26 hits in their first three games, the 'Swords' bats went silent, getting just one hit from Genera, a lead-off single in the second inning, although it extended her hitting streak to four games.
Genera (2-1) allowed 11 hits and four walks although just three of the eight runs allowed were earned.
The Silverswords return to action on Sunday, March 1 against PacWest preseason favorite Concordia Irvine at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park in the opener of a four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
