WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University baseball team on Thursday completed their weather suspended game from Wednesday, hanging on to defeat Azusa Pacific, 8-7, at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park (CORP) Baseball Complex.
The Silverswords led by four runs in the top of the ninth but hung on after the Cougars scored three times in the frame.
Recapping the events from the evening prior,
Aydan Lobetos (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) scored the game's first run on a wild pitch. Then after APU got the run back in the second on a solo homer,
Jake Harper (San Pedro, Calif./El Camino College/San Pedro HS) singled in a run in the bottom of the third followed by Lobetos' double, putting the 'Swords up, 4-1.
The Cougars scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to knot the score before Chaminade's three-run fifth which included RBI hits from
Casey Kudell (Irvine, Calif./Irvine Valley College/Irvine HS),
Ryan Ruch (San Diego/Patrick Henry) and
Cato Kleinman (Westlake Village, Calif./Monterey Peninsula College/Westlake HS).
Right before the start of the sixth, the rain returned and forced the suspension of the game, which resumed at 1:01 p.m. on Thursday.
Chaminade added a run on a Ruch single in the seventh to give the 'Swords an 8-4 lead which they took into the top of the ninth.
But Azusa Pacific got a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly to close to 8-7 to put the tying run at the plate. However,
Jasper McGrath (San Diego/Point Loma HS) got a harmless comebacker for the game's final out.
Chaminade's top of the lineup card of Harper, Lobetos, Kudell and Ruch had 10 of the 'Swords' 12 hits with Kudell and Ruch each getting three knocks. Harper and Ruch each drove in a pair.
Max Patterson (Honolulu/Olympic College/Kalani HS) tossed five innings before the game was halted on Wednesday to pick up the win and improve to 3-1. McGrath got his first save of the year.
The Cougars had nine hits while Isaac Mendez, who like Patterson was the original Wednesday starter, took the loss.
Chaminade improved to 11-11 and 4-3 in the PacWest while Azusa Pacific fell to 5-15 and 0-5 in the conference.
