ATHERTON, Calif. – After waiting around for two whole days after bad weather postponed Friday's games, the Chaminade University baseball team got back on the diamond on Saturday and opened their 15-day road trip to northern California with a doubleheader sweep of new Pacific West Conference member Menlo College at Cartan Field.
Casey Kudell (Irvine, Calif./Irvine Valley College/Irvine HS) went a combined 5-for-8 and drove in four runs including the go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning in the Silverswords' 6-5 win to open the four-game series, the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The 'Swords won the seven-inning nightcap, 6-2, behind timely hitting and the pitching of
Mac Zawistoski (Coto de Caza, Calif./JSerra Catholic), who held Menlo to three hits in five innings of work on the mound.
Chaminade, which got its first same-day sweep since February 2024 against Hawai'i Pacific University, improved to 10-13 overall and 8-10 in the PacWest while the Oaks fell to 3-17 and 1-13 in the conference.
Game 1: CUH 6, Menlo 5
Trailing 1-0,
Alex Greb (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) reached on an error, allowing
Andrew Karns (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene) to score from third base.
In the sixth,
Trysten Mooney (Helena, Mont./Wenatchee Valley College/Capital HS) drove in
Cade Fujii (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) to give Chaminade the 2-1 lead.
Mac Elske (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lower Columbia CC/Lakeridge HS), in relief of starter
Anthony O'Canas (Woodland, Calif./American River College/Woodland HS), tossed 2 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings. But in the bottom of the eighth, Jaden Fulsher hit a three-run homer, putting the Oaks up, 3-2, heading to the top of the ninth.
The 'Swords got the first two batters on, including a fortunate break when
Evon Williams' (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley) short pop up down the third base line resulted in a collision with the third baseman and pitcher, allowing the ball to drop. That brought up Kudell who took a 0-2 pitch to deep right field, the three-run bomb putting Chaminade up, 5-3. Fujii brought in a sixth run with an RBI single.
But Menlo made the 'Swords sweat in its half of the ninth, scoring twice to close within a run. With the bases loaded, no outs and the winning run at second,
Joseph Perez (Goodyear, Ariz./Glendale CC/Verrado HS) got Samuel Brewer to hit a one-hopper to Kudell. The senior third baseman stepped on the bag for the first out and fired a perfect strike to Mooney at the plate to cut down the potential tying run to complete the double play. Perez struck out Bradley Morris to end the game.
Kudell was 4-for-5 at the plate while his ninth-inning homer was his third go-ahead or walk-off hit in the seventh inning or later this season.
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS) had three knocks while Fujii had a pair.
Elske got the win in relief to improve to 2-0 while Perez picked up his fourth save of the season. O'Cañas allowed just one run in his five innings of work.
Matthew Verdugo took the loss for Menlo.
Game 2: CUH 6, Menlo 2
A 'Swords' double steal allowing Greb to score in the second was the first run of the game. The Oaks tied it with a solo homer in the fourth.
Chaminade reclaimed the lead in the fifth on Dorn's RBI single. That was followed by Kudell's RBI single and a two-run base hit from
Safea Villaruz-Mauai (Hilo, Hawai'i/BYU/Waiakea HS) as the 'Swords sent 10 batters to the plate to take a 5-1 edge.
Jake Harper (San Pedro, Calif./El Camino College/San Pedro HS) led off the seventh with a fly ball down the right field line that got over the fence for his first career homer, closing out Chaminade scoring.
Meanwhile, Zawistoski retired 10 of the first 11 Oaks hitters and struck out six in his five innings to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Chris Cody (Orange, Calif./Irvine Valley College/El Modena HS) tossed the final two frames.
Fujii had two of Chaminade's seven hits in the nightcap.
Anthony Tellez took the loss for Menlo.
The two teams will close out the series Sunday with a twin bill at Mission College in San Jose, a makeup from Friday's rainouts. The first pitch will be at 8 a.m. Hawai'i time.
