KAILUA-KONA, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University softball team had one goal in mind entering their weekend road trip at Pacific West Conference Hawai'i Pod-leading University of Hawai'i Hilo: Sweep the series to get back into the race for the pod title.
While the sweep never happened, the Silverswords still split the Sunday doubleheader at Kealakehe High School to take three of four against the Vulcans in final series between the two squads, a series win that made plenty of heads turn among the softball community.
Like they did on Saturday, the 'Swords took the first game in a five-inning, mercy-rule 9-1 win before the Vulcans salvaged the final game, 5-1, and also won the season series, 4 to 8.
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) continued to terrorize UH Hilo pitching on Sunday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI in the first game.
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) had three combined hits as did
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) and
Haley Hayakawa (Torrance, Calif./South).
The split left the Silverswords at 10-8 in the PacWest while remaining 2 ½ games behind the Vulcans (11-4) in the Hawai'i Pod standings.
Game 1
Like they did 24 hours earlier, the Silverswords jumped out in the top of the first inning. Obara led off the game with a walk then after being sacrificed over, Genera singled to right but the ball was misplayed and rolled all the way to the fence, allowing Obara to score the first run and Genera moving to third.
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) then reached when the Hilo shortstop booted a routine grounder, plating Genera.
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) then singled in Cabunoc to give the 'Swords a 3-0 lead after a half-inning of play.
UH Hilo then got a run back on an error in the bottom half of the frame but Chaminade answered in the top of the second with RBI singles from Takemura and Genera.
Takemura then came through again in the third, bringing in two on her bases-loaded double to center which made it 7-1. Then in the fifth, Hayakawa delivered a run-scoring single followed by Takemura who struck again with an RBI knock to center to make it 9-1 to put the mercy rule in effect.
The Vulcans threatened to extend the game when speedy top-of-the-order batter Kiarra Lincoln led off the fifth with a double and got to third on a sac bunt. However Genera got consecutive groundouts to end the game.
Chaminade pounded out 13 hits, the most against the Vulcans this season. Their top four batters in the order (Obara, Hayakawa, Takemura and Genera) were 9-for-14 and had seven of the eight RBIs. Hayakawa was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate while Takemura did plenty of damage with a 3-for-4 and four-RBI game. Obara reached base all four times she stepped to the plate and came around to score each time, tying a school record for runs scored.
Takemura also extended her hitting streak to six games which raised her average to .362. The freshmen's last four games have also been multi-hit contests.
Ronni Gallegos (Long Beach, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Saint Joseph) had two career firsts, an extra-base hit and multi-hit game. And Genera, her battery mate, tossed a four-hitter and walked just one to earn the win to improve to 5-1.
Valerie Alvarado, who had stymied the 'Swords bats the previous weekend in Kaneohe, was hit hard again for a second straight day, allowing five runs on seven hits and fell to 4-2. UH Hilo's defense which entered the weekend as the best fielding team in the PacWest, committed three errors in the opener.
Game 2
Unlike their three previous games against the Vulcans, the quick first inning start for the 'Swords never arrived. It was UH Hilo which struck first with a run in the home-half of the inning, its first lead all weekend followed by its first multi-run inning in the third with two runs.
The 'Swords got on the board in the fourth on the first career base hit by freshman
Robbi Gallegos (Long Beach, Calif./Saint Joseph), a pinch-hit double which scored Cabunoc.
But the Vulcans tacked on insurance runs in the sixth on a pinch-hit solo homer from Taisha Bratton – her second pinch-hit homer against the 'Swords in the past eight days – and an RBI double from Markie Okamoto.
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) scattered seven hits in going the distance while striking out six in taking the loss to drop her record to 5-6.
Leah Gonzales got the complete-game win to improve to 4-1.
The Silverswords will be in action on Tuesday when they face Hawai'i Pacific University at Howard Okita Field in a doubleheader starting at noon. The games are a makeup of the March 6 twin bill which was rained out.
