ATHERTON, Calif. – After two rainouts and two days of simply waiting, the Chaminade University softball team finally saw some game action on Thursday.
It might've been well worth the wait.
The Silverswords picked up where they left off in their last home games with another seventh-inning rally to defeat Academy of Art, 8-4, in the opening game of their road trip.
Chaminade completed the sweep by holding off the Urban Knights in the nightcap, 8-5.
The 'Swords had 26 combined hits in the twin bill in winning their fifth straight to improve to 13-11 overall and 6-8 in the Pacific West Conference.
Chasity McKean (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Nevada/Kapolei HS) went 5-for-8 with three RBI in the twin bill while
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) had four hits and drove in five.
ART U fell to 3-21 overall and 0-8 in the PacWest.
The games were makeups from Monday's rainouts and played at Wunderlich Field on the Menlo College campus in Atherton, California.
Game 1: CUH 8, ART U 4
The Silverswords managed to put early pressure on ART U starter Kamielle Powell, who walked the first three CUH hitters. That brought up Tuifao who dropped a single to left-center to plate
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) and
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt).
The 'Swords made it 3-0 in the second on an RBI sacrifice fly from Cabunoc while the Urban Knights got their first run in the third. ART U tied it in the fourth with two runs then took a 4-3 lead on a Cassandra Mittman run-scoring double.
Trailing 4-3 in the top of the seventh, the Silverswords, who rallied from multiple runs down in the seventh inning of both games of their doubleheader against Emporia State last week, again put on their rally caps.
Alicia Amaya (Bellflower, Calif./Bellflower)'s pinch-hit, one-out single started the train followed by Fujioka who walked.
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae), who was pinch-hit for by Amaya and re-entered to run, then beat the throw to third when Powell elected to go for the force on Cabunoc's comebacker.
That brought up Takemura, who ripped a liner to the fence in right-center to clear the bases and put Chaminade ahead, the team's third straight seventh-inning rally. The 'Swords added two insurance runs on McKean's RBI single followed by
Ashley Ogata (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani), who made it 8-4 with her first career hit and run batted in.
Down to their final three outs, the Urban Knights led off the bottom of the seventh with a double off Ogata, who came out of the bullpen in the fifth. But the freshman got a fly out for the first out then got Katie Humphreys to line to
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) for the game-ending double play.
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) went 4 1/3 innings, scattering eight hits while allowing four runs. Ogata allowed just one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless frames to pick up the win in relief and improve to 4-3.
Nine Silverswords had at least one hit with McKean getting two of the 10 total base knocks.
Powell took the loss to fall to 3-9.
Game 2: CUH 8, ART U 5
Chaminade plated a pair of first-inning runs on an RBI double from Tuifao followed by McKean RBI single. The Urban Knights responded in their half of the frame with two of their own.
Chaminade responded with a pair of second-inning scores on Cabunoc's RBI groundout and Tuifao's RBI double which put them up, 4-2. In the fourth, Tuifao made it 5-2 when she dropped a blooper down the right field line which rolled past the fence for an RBI ground-rule double. McKean would bring Tuifao into the dugout by hitting a hard grounder into the hole on the left side of the infield.
However, ART U battled back with a run off an error in the fifth and two more in the sixth to close within 6-5.
Chaminade would add to its lead when Fujioka hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to deep left-center followed by Cabunoc who singled in the team's eighth run and help extend their win streak.
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory) got the win by tossing five innings of relief and improve to 4-5 on the season, scattering four hits while allowing two earned runs.
Chaminade put together a season-high 16 hits with Tuifao, McKean and
Isabel Rodriguez (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) each collecting three knocks while Fujioka and
Cheyne Obara (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) both had two. Tuifao drove in a career-high three runs with her total Thursday RBI count of five nearly quadrupled her season total of two entering the morning.
Haley Arnold-Jolley allowed 11 hits and six runs in four innings to take the loss and fall to 0-10.
The Silverswords continue their road trip Friday when they face Holy Names University in the opener of a four-game series at Chabot College Softball Field in Hayward. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. local time.
