FRESNO, Calif. – The Chaminade University baseball team split their doubleheader at Fresno Pacific on Thursday, winning 9-6 in eight innings in the first game, but dropping the second, 5-4, at Dan Martin Stadium.
Late inning rallies were the theme of the day with both teams coming from behind to get their respective wins. Both were seven-inning contests.
The Silverswords trailed by a run in the seventh inning before forcing extra innings and scoring three times in the eighth. Likewise, the Sunbirds scored five runs in the fifth and sixth innings to rally from four runs down. All three games of the series have been comebacks decided in the final innings.
The split put Chaminade at 12-16 overall and 10-13 in the Pacific West Conference while Fresno Pacific, which has taken two of the first three games of the series, is 14-16 and 9-14 in the PacWest.
Game 1: CUH 9, FPU 6 (8 inn.)
A bases-loaded walk drawn by
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS) in the third was the game's first run. The Sunbirds tied it in their half of the frame then
Casey Kudell (Irvine, Calif./Irvine Valley College/Irvine HS) drove in a pair in the fourth for a 3-1 'Swords' lead.
FPU scored twice in the fourth and fifth innings to go up, 5-3. In the top of the sixth, Chaminade tied without the benefit of a hit.
Cade Fujii (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) was plunked with the bases loaded followed by Dorn's second bases-loaded walk of the game which brought in the tying run.
The Sunbirds retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth and had a chance to close it out before Kudell grounded into a double play in the seventh. However, he managed to drive in
Aydan Lobetos (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) as the tying run to send the game into extra innings.
With two outs in the eighth, a throwing error by the third baseman allowed Dorn and
Alex Greb (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) to cross the plate, giving CUH an 8-6 lead. Kudell then drew Chaminade's third walk with the bases juiced for a 9-6 gap.
Joseph Perez (Goodyear, Ariz./Glendale CC/Verrado HS), who entered in the sixth and struck out three in his 2 2/3 innings of work, tossed a perfect eighth to get the win to improve to 3-1. Kudell drove in three with
Ace Perry (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/University) getting three hits at the top of the order.
Josh Moreno took the loss for Fresno Pacific.
Game 2: FPU 5, CUH 4
After three scoreless innings, the 'Swords scored three times in the fourth on yet another bases-loaded walk drawn by Fujii followed by Greb's two-run single.
Safea Villaruz-Mauai (Hilo, Hawai'i/BYU/Waiakea HS) drove in
Jake Harper (San Pedro, Calif./El Camino College/San Pedro HS) in the fifth to put Chaminade up, 4-0.
FPU began its comeback in the bottom of the frame, scoring three times to draw within a run. Then in the sixth, the Sunbirds were this time the recipients of scoring without a hit, getting consecutive bases-loaded walks to take a 5-4 lead.
The 'Swords went quietly in the seventh, giving the Sunbirds the win.
Villaruz-Mauai had two of Chaminade's four hits in the nightcap.
Neville Till (Maple Valley, Wash./Tahoma) took the loss with starter
Max Patterson (Honolulu/Olympic College/Kalani HS) tossing three scoreless innings, allowing three hits.
Austin Watson earned the win for Fresno Pacific.
The Silverswords will look to salvage a series split in the finale on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Hawai'i time.
