KANEOHE, O'ahu, Hawai'i – Coming off a stunning series win at Pacific West Conference Hawai'i Pod-leading Hawai'i Hilo, the Chaminade University softball team knew they needed to keep the momentum going to keep pace with the Vulcans as the regular season heads down the stretch run.
Unfortunately, winless Hawai'i Pacific University was hungry for its first victory and motivated after losing the first six meetings to Chaminade heading into Tuesday's doubleheader at Howard Okita Field which were makeups from the March 6 rainouts.
The Silverswords' bats were held in check for the most part in the opening game as they were blanked, 4-0, which gave the Sharks its first win of 2021.
The 'Swords then had defeat snatched from the jaws of victory in the nightcap as HPU scored three times in the bottom of the 10th for a 6-5 win to sweep the twin bill.
Malia Ka`akimaka-Moisa (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Campbell) had two hits in both games while
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) had a three-hit performance in the second.
The Silverswords fell to 10-10 in the PacWest and are 3 ½ games behind UH Hilo (11-4) with just four games remaining, all against HPU. The Vulcans have eight left and, like Chaminade, all coming against the Sharks (2-9 PacWest).
Game 1
Hawai'i Pacific scored twice off reigning PacWest Pitcher of the Week
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) in both the second and fourth innings.
Chaminade had a prime opportunity to get on the board in the top of the fourth, loading the bases on four hits with a double play sandwiched between. However an infield popup to end the inning stymied their best chance at plating runs.
The 'Swords went without a hit in the final three innings to see their six-game win streak against HPU snapped.
Genera took the loss to fall to 5-2. Malia Torres got the win, improving to 1-4.
Game 2
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City), who on Monday was named PacWest Player of the Week, walked to lead off the game and eventually scored on Genera's sacrifice fly.
After the Sharks knotted it up in the bottom of the first, Cabunoc led off the second with a single and moved to second on an error.
Hailey Matsumura (Honolulu/Saint Francis) then laced a double into the left field corner to plate Cabunoc, putting CUH ahead. Obara, who had her four-game hitting streak snapped in Game 1, started a new one with an RBI single to left to put Chaminade up 3-1.
But HPU got a run in the bottom of the second and the tying run in the fourth on a safety squeeze.
'Swords' starter
Madelyn Stockslager (Torrance, Calif./South) dealt with traffic throughout but stranded runners at second in the fifth and sixth innings. The latter was highlighted by a spectacular inning-ending running catch by centerfield
Kieren Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Frontier) in left-center which prevented the go-ahead run from scoring.
Stockslager also worked out of a near-impossible situation in the bottom of the eight when Poliahu Aina led off the inning with a triple and represented the winning run with no outs. However, she got two groundouts to Cabunoc – making her first career start at shortstop – and a strikeout of Kassy Kealoha-Machado in between to quell the threat.
Then in the 10th with the international tiebreaker in effect and Lopez placed at second, Obara beat out the throw to second for a bunt single, moving Lopez to third.
Haley Hayakawa (Torrance, Calif./South) then grounded out to shortstop but Lopez took off for home on the throw and beat the relay at the plate to put the 'Swords up 4-3. Genera followed by dropping a single to right, bringing Obara home for a 5-3 Chaminade lead. Ka'akimaka-Moisa then doubled to the fence in right-center which put Genera at third with one out. However the 'Swords couldn't get an additional run which would haunt them a half-inning later.
In the HPU 10th, Mary Dungey reached on a missed tag along the first base line, putting runners at the corners. Aina was put out at first on a sacrifice bunt which scored Kanoe Tanigawa from third. But Dungey, who reached second, was caught a quarter of the way to third base. The subsequent throw in an attempt to double her off sailed over second base, got past the covering outfielders and rolled all the way to the fence, allowing Dungey to trudge home with the tying score.
Two batters later, Kealoha-Machado hit a two-out line drive which dropped into center but was misplayed on the short hop. The ball rolled all the way to the fence, putting her at second as the winning run. Hoku Ching then walked off the 'Swords with a single to left.
Jabunoc was 3-for-5 with a run while Obara and Ka'akimaka-Moisa had two knocks each. Genera had two RBI to give her a team-leading 13 on the season.
Stockslager suffered the hard-luck defeat, falling to 5-7. She scattered 13 hits and fanned six in her 9 2/3 innings of work. Three of the run were earned.
HPU's Megan Wilson went all 10 innings to earn her first win at 1-2.
The Silverswords will have the next nine days off before finishing the season with a four-game series starting Friday, April 30 against HPU at Okita Field. Chaminade will be the home team in all four.
