KANEOHE, O'ahu, Hawai'i – On Sunday, the Chaminade University softball team was brought back down to earth by an equally hot Dominican University of California squad which took the opening twin bill.
On Monday at Howard Okita Field at the Hawai'i Pacific University Hawai'i Loa campus, the Silverswords repaid the debt.
The 'Swords swept the final two games from the Penguins with 1-0 and 5-4 wins to salvage a series split.
In both cases,
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) was brilliant inside the circle. The junior took a perfect game into the fourth before completing her first career shutout in Game 1, then threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in the nightcap while scoring the winner on a walk-off sacrifice fly by
Haley Hayakawa (Torrance, Calif./South) in the 10th inning of the nightcap.
Freshman
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) was a combined 5-for-8 with two runs for the Silverswords who improved to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the Pacific West Conference.
Dominican saw its four-game win streak halted, falling to 7-14 and 4-8 in the PacWest.
Game 1: CUH 1, DUC 0
Fujioka got things rolling for the 'Swords in the first inning, lacing the second pitch she saw from newly-minted PacWest Pitcher of the Week Shelby Keltner into the left-center gap, for a triple. Two batters later,
Chasity McKean (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Nevada/Kapolei HS) brought Fujioka home on a sacrifice fly for the game's first – and what proved to be the only – run.
Meanwhile, Cabunoc threw up zeros, retiring the first 11 batters she faced in just 31 pitches. But Peyton Mott ended her bid for perfection by lining a hard one-hopper to Fujioka at shortstop who couldn't make the backhanded stab. Cabunoc got out of the inning by getting Keltner to ground out.
The only threat DUC mounted was in the sixth when Celeste Salas led off with a single to left and ultimately got to third before being stranded there.
In the seventh, Cabunoc retired the side in order to preserve her first career complete-game shutout. The two hits were the only base runners she allowed, improving her record to 3-2.
Fujioka got two hits in the first game and, in addition to her first inning triple,
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) tripled in the second to HPU's triples alley in the 210-foot gap, the deepest in the PacWest. It was the first time Chaminade had two three-baggers in a game since March 13, 2014, which also came against Dominican.
Keltner, who sat down six 'Swords in Sunday's series opener, struck out five but took the loss to fall to 4-8.
Game 2: CUH 5, DUC 4 (10)
With darkening skies and a light drizzle paying a visit to Kaneohe, Dominican took advantage of Chaminade misplays in the third. The 'Swords could not get outs on lead runners, allowing DUC to load the bases with no outs. It was followed by three uncharacteristic errors, all directly leading to runs.
Meanwhile CUH got runners at third in the first, third and fourth innings. But they finally broke through in the fifth. With
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) at first, McKean singled to right but the ball went past Melissa Garcia and rolled to the fence, allowing Obara to motor home for Chaminade's first run, to which Garcia was replaced by starting leftfielder Jillian Lampa.
Two batters later, pinch hitter
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) hit a fly ball to Lampa who made a diving attempt but the ball ricocheted off her glove and into the right field corner. That allowed McKean to cross and Tuifao earning her first career hit and RBI.
The Penguins managed to get a run back in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead but the 'Swords replied in the bottom of the frame. Fujioka laced a two-out opposite field double down the left field line, allowing Hayakawa, who reached on an error, to scamper home. Obara then came through in the clutch against Keltner, who entered an inning earlier to try and lock down save, shooting her 0-1 to center, bringing Fujioka home as the tying run and to help send the game into extra innings.
In the 10th and the international tiebreaking rule (runner placed on second) in effect, Chaminade was able to get out of the runner-on-third-with-one-out jam when Cabunoc, who entered with one out in the seventh, got a huge strikeout for the second out, then a slow roller to first for the final out.
In the Silverswords' half of the frame and Cabunoc at second, pinch-hitter
Kieren Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Frontier) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Cabunoc to third. Hayakawa then lifted a fly ball deep enough to allow Cabunoc to sprint home for the game-winner, giving the sophomore outfielder her first career walk-off.
Starter
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) went 6 1/3 allowing four runs, two earned, scattering seven hits with no walks. Cabunoc tossed 3 2/3 hitless innings to earn her second win of the day, improving to 4-2 and lowering her ERA to 1.78.
Fujioka was 3-for-5 at the plate with a run and RBI. In addition to her pitching, Cabunoc threw out two hits as the 'Swords got nine hits in the nightcap, their second-highest hit total this season. Tuifao's triple also marked the second straight game for Chaminade with a three-bagger (prior to Monday, the 'Sword had one triple in their last 123 games dating back to February 2018).
Keltner tossed the final 5 1/3 innings for Dominican, allowing four runs, one earned, on five hits. However, after striking out 11 in her two starts, she did not strikeout a batter with the 'Swords putting the ball in play against her.
The Silverswords are next in action on Saturday when they host the start of a four-game series against Holy Names at HPU's Howard Okita Field in Kaneohe. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
