FRESNO, Calif. – The Chaminade University baseball team opened their four-game series against Fresno Pacific University on Wednesday, dropping a 7-4 decision at the new Dan Martin Stadium, site of the former FPU Diamond.
Chaminade's top six batters in the lineup card accounted for all eight hits with
Ace Perry (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/University) and
Safea Villaruz-Mauai (Hilo, Hawai'i/BYU/Waiakea HS) getting two each. Although
Alex Greb (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) did not get a hit, he drove in two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies.
Jake Harper (San Pedro, Calif./El Camino College/San Pedro HS) got a seventh-inning single to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 11 straight.
The Silverswords fell to 11-15 overall and 9-12 in the Pacific West Conference. Fresno Pacific improved to 13-15 and 8-13 in the conference.
The Sunbirds scored the game's first three runs before the 'Swords got three straight two-out hits in the third, capped by Villaruz-Mauai's RBI single.
Greb's first RBI sac fly in the sixth brought CUH to within a run. In the eighth, a
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS) RBI single tied it at 3, followed by Greb's second sacrifice fly which gave them a 4-3 lead.
But FPU answered in its half of the eight, taking advantage of two Chaminade errors and scoring three times to take a 7-4 lead then retired three of the four batters in the ninth to secure the win.
Sebastian Castro (San Diego/Palomar College/Great Oak) took the loss with starter
Mac Elske (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lower Columbia CC/Lakeridge HS) going four innings, scattering seven hits with three strikeouts.
Josh Moreno got the win in relief.
The series continues Thursday with a pair of seven-inning contests, beginning at 11 a.m. Hawai'i time.
