HONOLULU – The Chaminade University softball team ended the weekend by battling their Division I cousins, the University of Hawai'i.
Both teams, however, had to battle the elements.
Thanks to, at times, heavy showers, the teams were able to complete just the first game of their second exhibition doubleheader Sunday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, a 6-2 Rainbow Wahine victory, which also included a nearly one-hour rain delay between the second and third innings. The second game was canceled due to rain.
In the loss, however, second baseman
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) scored both Silversword runs and cranked a fifth-inning homer.
UH scored four times in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Nawai Kaupe. But from there, Chaminade starter
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) was effective allowing just two more runs in the third and also worked a perfect second inning.
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif.) came out of the bullpen in the fourth and worked out of a bases-loaded jam with an inning-ending strikeout.
With one out in the fifth, Obara sent a towering fly ball over the leftfield fence to get the 'Swords on the board. Although statistics do not count in exhibitions, the dinger was the junior's first ever home run, including her years at Pearl City High School. It was also the second straight year a 'Sword has homered off a UH pitcher in an exhibition series.
After Stockslager retired the Hawai'i lineup in order in the bottom of the fifth, Chaminade kept the pressure on by loading the bases in the sixth, although the 'Bows were able to escape the frame with no runs allowed.
In the seventh, Obara led off with a walk then advanced to third on a bouncer through the right side by
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute). Two batters later,
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) laced a sharp liner to left to bring Obara home for a second time. Genera nearly kept the game going but her sinking liner to center was snared for the final out.
The Silverswords were able to plate multiple runs off the Rainbow Wahine for the first time since a fall exhibition tournament in 2013.
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) had two of Chaminade's six hits in the game.
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) also singled for the 'Swords.
Genera and Stockslager each tossed three innings with the latter striking out six UH hitters.
Just minutes before the lineup cards were to be exchanged for the second game, the heavy rain returned and the game was subsequently called.
The three exhibition games at UH proved valuable for the 'Swords as they now enter the real part of their season. The PacWest slate begins Saturday at noon when they face Hawai'i Pacific University in a four-game series at Howard Okita Field in Kaneohe. HPU will not allow fans on site.
