TURLOCK, Calif. – Over the past two weeks, the Chaminade University softball team has been defined by late-inning comebacks.
On Thursday, no rallies were required.
Playing a pair of makeup games caused by rainouts, the Silverswords scored early and often to sweep Academy of Art at Stanislaus State's Warrior Field by finals of 11-3 and 13-2 in five innings.
Thursday's wins were makeup of the postponed doubleheader on March 21. It completed a four-game road sweep of the Urban Knights, marking Chaminade's first four-game series road sweep since March 2015 when they took all four at Holy Names University.
The 'Swords put on a hitting display against ART U with a combined 24 runs and 27 base hits, nine being of the extra base variety.
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) went a combined 5-for-6 at the plate with five RBI while
Chasity McKean (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Nevada/Kapolei HS) also drove in five.
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) had seven RBI to take the Pacific West Conference lead with 30 driven in.
Chaminade improved to 18-14 overall and is 11-11 in the PacWest, putting them in the thick of the race for a conference tournament berth in early May. ART U fell to 6-26 and 3-13 in the PacWest.
Game 1: CUH 11, ART U 3
It took one swing for the 'Swords to establish control. With two outs and the bases loaded, McKean unloaded with a bases-clearing double for a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
Chaminade put up a four-spot in the second inning, thanks to a two-run triple by Takemura, an RBI double and an RBI single from Brown, giving them a 7-0 lead.
The Urban Knights made it interesting in their half of the second, plating three runs. But thanks to the 'Swords' defense, they prevented a fourth, catching Bethany Mitchell in a run-down between third and home to end the inning.
They also turned another inning-finishing, run-saving play in the fifth when Marissa Manard's hard base hit deflected off the glove of Brown into right field. However
Bailey Jacobsen (Buena Park, Calif./Cypress) made a clean pick up and fired a dart home to nab Audrey Allen at the plate.
Chaminade plated two more runs in the fourth with a
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) RBI sacrifice fly in foul territory while Brown delivered her second RBI of the game. The 'Swords got their 10th run thanks to an error which scored Brown in the sixth and their final run in the seventh on Takemura's second triple of the game, her conference-leading seventh three-bagger of the season.
Meanwhile starter
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) got the win to improve to 3-2 on the season. Although ART U was able to get 12 hits, she did not issue a walk and stranded six baserunners while throwing a season-high 109 pitches.
Brown was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs.
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City), Cabunoc, Takemura and McKean each added two knocks.
Haley Arnold-Jolley allowed seven runs in 1 2/3 innings to fall to 2-13.
Game 2: CUH 13, ART U 2 (5 inn.)
Like they did in the first game, Chaminade plated multiple runs in the first inning. Takemura's hit landed just inside the right field line for a double, scoring Cabunoc. Two batters later, Brown lofted an RBI sacrifice fly for a 2-0 'Swords' lead.
The second frame saw two more CUH runs on a Fujioka RBI ground-out followed by
Isabel Rodriguez (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) who scored on an error.
The 'Swords would break the game open with a six-run fourth inning with four straight base hits, sending 10 batters to the plate. Takemura started the run-fest with a two-run single. That would be followed by RBI singles from Tuifao, Brown and finally McKean with a two-run triple to put Chaminade up 10-0.
The Silverswords tacked on their final three runs in the fifth on Fujioka's RBI single, Takemura's fourth RBI on a sac fly, followed by Brown's fifth base hit of the afternoon which plated Fujioka.
Starter
Taylor Genera (Norwalk, Calif./Whitney) retired the first nine batters she faced before allowing her first base runner on a walk to lead off the fourth, then gave up her first hit on a blooper which fell just past third base. However Genera managed to finish off the Urban Knights in the fifth with the help of a 4-6-3 double play to help end the game via the mercy-rule, the program's first road run-rule game since March 21, 2018.
Genera improved to 6-2 on the season by tossing a three-hitter for her third straight win. At the plate, all nine 'Swords batters got a base hit. Takemura, Tuifao, Brown and
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) each had two hits in the nightcap. Takemura drove in a team-high four while Brown had three.
Kamille Powell lasted two innings in taking the loss to fall to 4-11.
The Silverswords will remain in Turlock this weekend for the Annual Tournament of Champions presented by the City of Turlock. The Silverswords open the tournament Friday against Cal State East Bay at 8:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. local) followed by San Francisco State at 4 p.m. (7 p.m. local).
