SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Chaminade University softball team opened their two-week-long road trip to northern California on Friday with an 11-3, six-inning defeat to Jessup University in mid-50 degree conditions at American River College Softball Stadium.
Elora Tonaki (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Technology Academy) recorded her first career multi-hit game and reached base three times while freshman first baseman
Taneia Simanu (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani) hit her first career home run for the Silverswords who fell to 4-24 and 3-10 in the Pacific West Conference.
Jessup, one of the three newest members of the PacWest and a former NAIA power, improved to 12-13 and 6-4 in the conference in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Trailing 1-0, Simanu led off the third with a booming fly ball that carried over the right-center field fence to knot the score. Jessup responded with a homer of its own in the bottom of the frame then took a 3-1 lead in the fourth.
Tonaki, who singled to left in her first at-bat, led off the fifth with another base knock to left, although she was later out on a fielder's choice.
Vanessa Pena (Paramount, Calif./Paramount) reached,
Desiree Bravo (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Centennial HS) walked and
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) singled to load the bases. That led to
Miranda Diaz (Whittier, Calif./Cerritos College/California HS) whose sinking liner to right drove in the tying runs.
However the Warriors, in their half of the inning, posted six runs, four coming on a single swing, a grand slam by Maddy Ybarra. Jessup plated two runs in the sixth, ending the game via run-rule.
Diaz, who like Tonaki had two hits, took over the team's RBI lead with 18. Chaminade as a whole had nine base hits.
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory) took the loss for the 'Swords.
Alexandria Hines picked up the win for Jessup.
The Silverswords and Warriors will meet again in a doubleheader on Saturday. With Jessup's home field, Foskett Regional Park, rendered unplayable due to the recent rains in the area, the twin bill will be at Foothill High School in Sacramento with a first pitch time of 9 a.m. Hawai'i time, weather permitting.
