HONOLULU – The Chaminade University softball team opened Pacific West Conference action on Wednesday, facing in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University, the first league games of the season throughout the conference.
The Silverswords won the opening game of the doubleheader, 5-4, getting the go-ahead run in the eighth inning which snapped their 13-game losing streak, the team's longest since 2019.
The Sharks took the second, 8-6, although Chaminade had the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the final inning.
The 'Swords did not have to go very far for the road twin bill, playing at the HPU field, nicknamed the Sharks Den, in the same Sand Island softball complex, just 50 feet away from Silversword Field.
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) had five total hits on the afternoon while
Miranda Diaz (Whittier, Calif./Cerritos College/California HS drove in four.
Chaminade is 2-14 on the season while HPU is 7-10. Both teams are 1-1 in the PacWest.
Game 1: CUH 5, HPU 4 (8 inn.)
Tuifao and Diaz had consecutive two-out doubles in the top of the first, the latter driving in the game's first run.
Chaminade tacked on more in the third, thanks to a Tuifao RBI single followed by an RBI force out by Diaz. They made it 4-0 when
Summer Buck (Honolulu/Kaiser), who missed the last 11 games due to an injury, drove in Diaz on a double to center.
But the Sharks countered in the fourth, scoring four times to knot the game.
Finally in the top of the eighth, Tuifao and Diaz led off the inning with a single and hit-by-pitch, respectively. After
Mikala Jacobsen (Buena Park, Calif./Cypress College/Cypress HS) bunted them over,
Desiree Bravo (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Centennial HS) grounded out to third, but on the throw,
Alena Frost (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Castle), who was pinch-running for Tuifao, bolted home and beat the throw to put the 'Swords up, 5-4.
Chaminade then retired HPU in order in the home eighth to win the PacWest opener and snap their losing streak.
Tuifao had three hits with Buck getting two while Diaz drove in a pair. All 13 of HPU's hits came in the first five innings. But
Ava Walker (Las Vegas/Faith Lutheran), who tossed the final five innings in relief, helped shut down the Sharks' hitting onslaught by retiring the final 10 Sharks she faced including 13 of the last 14, to pick up her first career win.
Taylor Thompson took the loss.
Game 2: HPU 8 CUH 6
The Sharks plated single runs in the first and fourth frames to take a two-run lead.
Chaminade responded in the top of the fifth on a Diaz RBI single followed by Buck's towering fly ball to left, bringing in two more to put them up 3-2.
HPU retook the lead in its half of the frame on a two-run shot by Makayla Pagampao that just cleared the left field fence. The Sharks tacked on four more in the sixth although they were aided by three CUH errors. That big inning, which put HPU up 8-3, proved to be a deciding factor in the top of the seventh.
Vanessa Pena (Paramount, Calif./Paramount) led off with a double followed by Tuifao who was plunked. Diaz roped a pitch into left, scoring Peña then Buck dropped a single to right to load the bases with still no out. Bravo then hit a comebacker to the pitcher but the throw to get Tuifao at home was thrown into the backstop, the error cutting the deficit to 8-5.
Two outs later, pinch-hitter
Bailey Jacobsen (Buena Park, Calif./Cypress) came up with a clutch RBI liner to center, making it 8-6, and putting the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. However, a ground out to first ended the rally and gave CUH a split of the twin bill.
Chaminade had a season-high 14 hits in the nightcap, with their first six batters in the lineup card going producing 12 of them, led by Diaz's three knocks and two RBI. Buck, who also drove in a pair, Peña, Tuifao and Bravo each had two hits. Starter
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory) took the loss.
Maggie O'Dowd got the win for HPU.
The two teams will meet in the rubber game of the three-game series on Thursday at the Sharks Den. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
