HONOLULU – Tuesday saw the Chaminade University softball team essentially play three games to wrap up their four-game Pacific West Conference series against Azusa Pacific.
Although the Silverswords lost twice to open the day, including Monday's suspended game which resumed Tuesday morning as well the third game, they managed to salvage a series split with a win in the finale. APU won Game 3 by a 4-3 count while the CUH bounced back for a 2-0 win.
By taking two games off the Cougars, it marked the first time in program history that the 'Swords managed to gain a series split from a PacWest Southern California squad, where many consider the conference's power lies. Historically, they have usually taken just one out of four contests.
Combined with previous wins earlier this season against Biola and Concordia University Irvine, it's also the first time that Chaminade has won at least four games off PacWest SoCal teams in the same season.
Keaolani Takemura (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) drove in four during the regularly scheduled doubleheader, including all three runs in the third game of the series, while also extending her hitting streak to six straight. She also had hits in all seven of her at-bats during the twin bill. According to available records, Takemura's streak of hits in seven straight at-bats is a school record.
Meanwhile,
Jaeda Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt) threw a complete-game shutout in the series finale to extend her scoreless streak to a school-record 17 straight innings.
Chaminade is 8-10 overall and 4-8 in the PacWest while Azusa Pacific is 10-7 and 2-2 in the conference.
Game 1: APU 4, CUH 3
The Cougars plated two runs in the top of the first but the Silverswords answered in their half with a Takemura single.
APU later upped its lead to 4-1, taking advantage of three CUH errors in the fourth, although they prevented a fifth run thanks to a charging
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) who made a nifty short toss to get the out at home on a safety squeeze by Ally Chin.
After
Chasity McKean (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/College of Southern Nevada/Kapolei HS) got a one-out triple, Takemura brought her home to make it 4-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, McKean managed to get to third where Takemura made it a 4-for-4 game, singling through the left side of the infield to put the tying run on base. However, APU ace Katie Korstrom got the final out to thwart a potential 'Swords comeback.
Ashley Ogata (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) went the distance for Chaminade, allowing four runs, two unearned, and scattering six hits, to fall to 2-2.
Korstrom struck out four to keep her record unblemished at 5-0.
Game 2: CUH 2, APU 0
The Silverswords plated the first run in the second when
Isabel Rodriguez (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) drove in Takemura, who doubled in her first at-bat of the game.
It remained a 1-0 contest until the fifth when – guess who – Takemura singled in
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) to give Chaminade a two-run lead.
That would essentially be all Cabunoc needed. In just her fourth start of the season, the senior who still has her season-of-competition waiver for a fifth season available, allowed just one base runner to reach third and five hits in all while not issuing a walk. APU managed to get the lead-off batter in the seventh on to bring the tying run to the plate but Cabunoc managed to get the final three outs on a fielder's choice and two groundouts.
Cabunoc, who evened her record to 2-2 and threw a scoreless inning against Concordia last Friday, did not allow a run in her 16 innings against the Cougars during the series to set the scoreless innings mark previously held by Luana Moreno, who had 16 1/3 scoreless innings in March 2017.
Takemura was 3-for-3 while
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) and
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) each had two hits.
Liz Phillips took the loss to fall to 1-4.
The Silverswords will step out of conference Friday when they meet Baldwin Wallace for a two-game set. First pitch at Silversword Field is set for 12 p.m.
