SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team is in the thick of the race for one of the four berths for the Pacific West Conference Tournament in May.
On Monday at Penguins Field, the Silverswords opened a series against one of the teams they are battling for a spot in second-place Dominican University of California.
The 'Swords got a dominant pitching performance from
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) while
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) continued her recent tear at the plate by homering in her first two at-bats in their 3-0 win in the opener.
The Penguins turned the tables on 'Swords in the nightcap, defeating them 7-3.
Chaminade is 16-14 on the season and 9-11 in the PacWest, just a game-and-a-half out of the fourth spot. Dominican is 12-13 and 9-5 in the conference.
Game 1: CUH 3, DUC 0
It didn't take long for the 'Swords to take control.
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) reached on a two-out error after the Penguins' third baseman had the ball bounce between the wickets. Tuifao made Dominican pay, depositing Taylor Rodrigueuz's first pitch over the left field fence for a two-run homer.
The sophomore wasn't done. In the third, she got the best of Rodriguez again, crushing a no-doubter near the same location as the first, a solo shot for her second dinger in as many at-bats and her team-leading third of the season. Tuifao became the fifth Silversword in recorded history to homer twice in the same game and the first since Rainelle Matsuoka did it on Feb. 15, 2016 at BYU-Hawai'i.
With Tuifao due up second in the fifth inning, DUC put Mia Souza in the circle instead of having Rodriguez to face her a third time. But Tuifao came a few feet short of the left field fence, lining out thanks to a running catch from leftfielder Caitlyn Perales towards the corner.
Meanwhile, Genera put together one of most impressive performances of the season to win the battle of the Taylors to improve to 5-2. The senior allowed just three baserunners – two singles and a walk – and did not allow a runner to reach third. She tossed perfect frames in every odd inning (1, 3, 5 and 7) while recording her fifth career shutout.
Along with Tuifao's two hits, Genera and
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) also had two knocks.
Rodriguez took the loss to fall to 1-3.
Game 2: DUC 7, CUH 3
The Silverswords made an early statement in the nightcap when
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) smacked the second pitch of the game off DUC ace Shelby Keltner over the right field fence for a lead-off home run, her second round-tripper of the season but her first which left the park.
Two batters later, Takemura laced a liner off the right-center field fence for her PacWest-leading fifth triple of the season. Tuifao then continued her recent RBI binge with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center to give Chaminade a 2-0 first-inning lead for the second time in the afternoon.
This time, however, DUC had an answer with three runs in the second, another in the third.
Chasity McKean (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Nevada/Kapolei HS) got CUH back on the board, bouncing a double off the fence in the right-center gap, scoring pinch-runner
Elora Tonaki (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Technology Academy), cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Dominican put the finishing touches with a run in the fifth and a two-run sixth to split the afternoon.
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory) went 3 1/3 innings and took the loss to fall to 5-7.
Ashley Ogata (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) tossed 2 1/3 frames in relief with all three of Chaminade's strikeouts.
Kamryn Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Garces Memorial) got CUH's final out on just two pitches.
Fujioka, Takemura and McKean each had two hits in the second game. With her sac fly, Tuifao has driven in 16 runs over the last eight games with five multi-RBI contests.
Although Chaminade was able to chase Keltner from the circle after 3 1/3 frames. Jayla Cadena pitched the final 3 2/3 for the Penguins to get the win, improving to 4-1.
The Silverswords and Penguins were scheduled to complete the four-game series Tuesday. However, the weather forecast is calling for heavy rain throughout the day, and on late Monday evening, Dominican officials announced the postponement of the second twin bill with a possible makeup date after this weekend's Tournament of Champions in Turlock, California. Chaminade is scheduled to play its scrubbed March 21 doubleheader against Academy of Art on Thursday in Turlock.
