HILO, Hawai'i – Officially, the Pacific West Conference Championships doesn't begin until May 1.
For the Chaminade University softball team, their version of the playoffs began two weeks ago and continued Saturday at the University of Hawai'i Hilo as they seek the PacWest's fourth and final tournament berth.
However, their bid to catch Biola and Dominican for that spot took a major blow, dropping the doubleheader, 4-3 on a ninth-inning walk-off, and 4-0 in the nightcap at Vulcan Softball Field.
The Silverswords fell to 15-21 on the year and 10-15 in the PacWest, dropping them three games behind Biola (12-11 PacWest) and two behind Dominican (12-14 PacWest) for the final spot, although Chaminade is still mathematically alive for the spot.
UH Hilo improved to 22-15 overall and, at 16-10 in the PacWest, putting them one win or a Biola loss away from clinching them a spot in the PacWest Championships. The Vulcans also took four of the five meetings from the 'Swords, giving them their first series win since 2021 while also capturing all eight points between the two squads in this season's PacWest Hawai'i Challenge.
Game 1: UHH 3, CUH 2 (9 inn.)
The game, which originally was to start at noon, was delayed 90 minutes due to morning rain, which saturated Vulcan Softball Field.
When play finally got underway,
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City) led off with an opposite field single before UH Hilo starter Chloe Sales retired the next 10 batters.
Keaolani Takemura-Brehme's (Pearl City, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mid-Pacific Institute) long single off the wall in the fourth ended the drought. The Vulcans plated a run in the first and fourth innings.
The Silverswords finally got their first threat of the game in the fifth with runners on first and second.
Summer Buck (Honolulu/Kaiser) then lined a two-out single to right, bringing in
Kailah Gates-Coyaso (Waianae, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waianae) as Chaminade's first run. Meanwhile Buck, who took off to second on the throw home, was safe because of defensive obstruction, allowing
Isabel Rodriguez (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) to score the tying run.
The Vulcans put runners on in the fifth and sixth but reliever
Kamryn Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Garces Memorial) induced inning-ending double plays in both frames to keep the score knotted at 2.
In extra innings, the 'Swords had a chance for the go-ahead run in the ninth with a runner at third and one out but couldn't get the run in. That proved costly in the bottom of the inning as an error followed by a wild pitch opened the door for Kanoe Piltz, whose blooper to right center dropped, bringing in the game winner.
After being handcuffed for three innings, Chaminade got seven of its eight hits after the fourth with
Kobe Brown (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) accounting for two of them.
Jaeda Kumaewa-Cabunoc (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Roosevelt), who came in the eighth, suffered the hard-luck loss although the run was unearned, keeping her ERA to 0.00 on the season. 'Swords' pitching also held UH Hilo hitless after the fifth until Piltz's walk off.
Linsea Strauss got the win in relief for Hawai'i Hilo.
Game 2: UHH 4, CUH 0
UH Hilo plated three runs in the first two innings which was all the Vulcans needed as starter Madison Rabe held the 'Swords to just three hits. Two were by Fujioka who maintained her lead for the PacWest batting title at .415. Chaminade managed to get just two runners to second base.
Rabe got the win while
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory) got the loss.
Vanessa Pena (Paramount, Calif./Paramount) closed the game with two perfect innings.
The Silverswords will end the season on Saturday in a crosstown rivalry twin bill against Hawai'i Pacific University. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. and will likely be the final games for HPU at the historic Howard Okita Field in Kaneohe before their projected move to Sand Island Field in 2025.
