HONOLULU – The Chaminade University softball team made their 2024 home debut Wednesday, sweeping past the University of Texas Permian Basin, 9-2 and 7-3.
The homecoming to Silversword Field at Sand Island Park proved to be the remedy after the 'Swords dropped all four games at their season-opening Concordia Kickoff Classic in the first weekend of February.
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) drove in five runs during the twin bill including a titanic home run into left-center field – the first ball to leave the park – in the first game.
Ashley Ogata (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) recorded her first career complete-game win in the opener to help Chaminade set the tone of the afternoon.
The team managed to overcome a rash of recent injuries that forced them to put a patch-work team on the field in their home opener.
The Silverswords are 2-4 on the season while the Falcons fell to 2-6.
Game 1: CUH 9, UTPB 2
The 'Swords didn't waste any time plating runs. After the first two batters were retired,
Keaolani Takemura-Brehme (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) was plunked followed by a pair of infield singles by
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) and Tuifao to load the bases.
Isabel Rodriguez (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) promptly unloaded them, ripping a shot into the right-center gap to score all three runners. Rodriguez later came to score on a wild pitch and a 5-0 Chaminade lead.
In the second inning with a runner on, Tuifao launched the first pitch she saw over the fence in left-center, the first homer to leave the yard in the brief history of the field. The junior's monstrous blast landed on a dirt path well beyond the fence with estimates placing the distance at 250 feet.
UTPB countered with a pair of runs in the fourth but Tuifao's RBI single and a sacrifice fly by
Bailey Jacobsen (Buena Park, Calif./Cypress) in the sixth, made it a seven-run game again.
Meanwhile, Ogata scattered seven hits and did not allow a runner to reach second in the final three innings to pick up her first career complete-game victory. The sophomore struck out two and walked just one to improve to 1-0.
Tuifao had three of Chaminade's 10 hits with Takemura-Brehme getting two more.
UTPB's Laila Vasquez allowed seven runs to fall to 0-2.
Game 2: CUH 7, UTPB 3
Like they did in the opener, the 'Swords plated a first-inning run with another Tuifao RBI hit. CUH got its second run in the fourth on
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) run-scoring triple into the left field corner.
But the Falcons rallied with two in the fifth and took a 3-2 lead in the sixth.
Playing from behind for the first time in the afternoon, the 'Swords coaxed three straight walks to load the bases, bringing up
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) who dropped a flare in shallow right-center to bring in the tying run. Takemura-Brehme followed with a grounder towards the shortstop who had to make a sliding grab, bringing
Desiree Bravo (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Centennial HS) who scored the go-ahead run.
Chaminade wasn't done in the frame, getting RBIs from Brown's fielder's choice, Tuifao who was hit with the bases loaded followed by Jacobsen's second sac fly of the day. The extra runs increased the margin to 7-3.
Kamryn Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Garces Memorial), in relief of starter
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory), tossed a perfect seventh to close the door on the Falcons to earn her first win of the season.
Chaminade's top three batters in the order (Fujioka, Gates-Coyaso, Takemura-Brehme) were a combined 7-of-11 at the plate with four runs and three RBI. Tuifao added two more hits and two RBI in the nightcap.
Morgan McGaugh allowed nine runs in 5 1/3 innings to suffer her first loss of the year.
The Silverswords will return to action Friday when they face Western Oregon at Silversword Field in a rematch of a Feb. 4 meeting in Irvine, California. First pitch is set at noon.
