HONOLULU – Just over 24 hours after literally stepping off the airplane from their Pacific West Conference opening road trip to Southern California, the Chaminade University baseball team wasted no time in getting back to the diamond.
On Monday, the Silverswords returned to non-conference action to face Division I foe Wichita State University, scoring what might be the biggest signature win in the program's second year of its resurrection.
Safea Villaruz-Mauai (Hilo, Hawai'i/BYU/Waiakea HS) homered twice including a first-inning grand slam – his third slam in a span of seven days – to help Chaminade upset the Shockers, 6-4, at Les Murakami Stadium on the University of Hawai'i Manoa campus.
Chaminade improved to 4-8 on the season while the Shockers fell to 2-6.
With the bases loaded with one out, Villaruz-Mauai launched a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall, the senior first baseman's second granny in as many games and third since Feb. 17 when he hit one at Azusa Pacific. He also had a grand salami on Saturday at 16th-ranked Westmont.
Wichita State responded in the top of the second with three runs to close to within 4-3.
But the 'Swords weren't done playing long ball when Villaruz-Mauai went yard in the third to put Chaminade up, 5-3, his fifth jack in the past seven games and first career multi-homer game.
The 'Swords tacked on a run in the fourth when
Trysten Mooney (Helena, Mont./Wenatchee Valley College/Capital HS) laid down a perfectly-place sacrifice bunt down the third base line, allowing
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS), who had taken off for home on a suicide squeeze, to score, making it 6-3.
The Shockers made it 6-4 in the eighth on a bases-loaded infield single with no outs. However,
Mac Zawistoski (Coto de Caza, Calif./JSerra Catholic) got a punch out for the first out then got Camden Johnson to roll into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play, the 'Swords' third of the game.
Joseph Perez (Goodyear, Ariz./Glendale CC/Verrado HS) tossed a perfect ninth inning to secure the team's first win over a Division I foe since the program's rebirth.
Villaruz-Mauai's two homers netted five RBI and had half of Chaminade's four hits.
Meanwhile, the Silverswords' bullpen delivered.
Ryan Shimabukuro (El Cerrito, Calif./College of Marin/Saint Mary's College HS) got the win in relief of starter
Brennen Panis (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Aiea), tossing 1 1/3 innings of one-hit ball. Panis went the first 3 2/3 frames.
Reyn Kapua (Honolulu/Mid-Pacific Institute), Zawistoski and Perez allowed a combined one run and three hits in the final four innings. Perez picked up his second save of the season.
Wichita State had 11 hits but stranded nine. Shockers starter MJ Seo, making his collegiate debut after transferring from LSU, was tagged with loss. WSU used five other relievers.
The Silverswords will return to action Saturday when they open a four-game PacWest series against Concordia University Irvine at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
