KANEOHE, O'ahu, Hawai'i – Because of the inclement weather, the Chaminade University softball team had to endure 24 hours of delay before making their regular season debut.
It was worth the wait and then some.
The Silverswords put together a big inning in their opening game then rallied from behind late in the second to sweep Hawai'i Pacific University, 8-2 and 7-5, on Sunday at Howard Okita Field, the team's first 2-0 start since 2014.
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) had six hits while
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) drove in four in the sweep. Two freshmen,
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) and
Haley Hayakawa (Torrance, Calif./South) each had three hits and an RBI.
In the circle,
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) won both games, the first in a complete-game performance by setting a school record for strikeouts, then the second coming out of the bullpen.
How rare of an accomplishment was this? Since 2003, when softball records started being kept consistently, it was the first recorded instance of a Chaminade sweep of HPU in a doubleheader.
Game 1
Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, the 'Swords loaded the bases with no out.
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) tied it on an infield single then CUH took the lead after Hayakawa was plunked. Two batters later, a botched 1-2-3 inning-ending double play skipped off the glove of the first baseman and went into right field, allowing Hayakawa to score from second with the third Chaminade run.
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) then laced a two-run liner into right-center to put the 'Swords up, 5-1.
Chaminade added on in the top of the seventh on Ka'akimaka-Moisa's two-run line-drive double to the left-center field fence, followed by an HPU error to give the Silverswords the final margin.
Brown was 4-for-4 while Ka'akimaka-Moisa went 2-for-4 with two runs and two driven in.
Meanwhile Stockslager, who had a strikeout in each inning, was in a groove. She struck out the side in the first, had six through three, then got her 10th K by punching out Ryen Hawkins to end the sixth, breaking the record of nine she set twice in 2018. She got her 11th in the seventh to end the game. Eight of her strikeouts were swinging.
Malia Torres took the loss for HPU.
The win snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Sharks, dating back to April 2017.
Game 2
The 'Swords plated the first two runs on Brown's RBI single in the first and a run-scoring base hit by
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis HS). Genera, who got the nod in the nightcap, tossed three scoreless innings before HPU tied it on a two-run triple from Poli Aina. The Sharks went up 3-2 in the fifth, which summoned Stockslager from the pen, but she was greeted with an RBI double from Hawkins which have the Sharks a 4-2 lead.
After two quick outs in the top of the sixth, Matsumura began the Chaminade rally by drawing a walk. Two batters later, Takemura lined a double just inside the right field line to plate Matsumura. Ka'akimaka-Moisa then worked a full count then sent a towering fly ball to the fence in right center for the tying and go-ahead runs. Genera then singled to make it 6-4.
The Sharks got a run back in their half of the sixth and made things uncomfortable for Chaminade faithful watching on the live video stream or on live stats by putting two runners on. However catcher
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) made a big defensive play by throwing out Keiana Sieu who was trying to steal third for the second out, wiping out the potential tying run at third. Ashley Iseri then hit a harmless fly ball to center to quell the threat.
Although HPU got to within 6-5 in the sixth, Chaminade got the run back in the seventh on Obara's sacrifice fly.
Then with the potential tying run at the plate in the seventh, Stockslager got a weak pop-up to end the game and secure the historic sweep.
Hayakawa went 3-for-4 with two runs in the nightcap while Takemura, Brown, Genera and Matsumura each had two hits.
Genera managed to strike out four in her 4 1/3 innings of work while Stockslager worked the final 2 2/3, and allowed three hits with one strikeout. HPU's Megan Wilson took the loss.
Saturday's doubleheader, which was washed out, will be made up at a future date.
The Silverswords will have two weeks off and resume action with a four-game series at the University of Hawai'i Hilo on the Big Island starting Saturday, March 20.
