HONOLULU – The Chaminade University softball team returned to the friendly confines of Silversword Field at Sand Island Park for the first time in over three weeks on Saturday. Their opponent; the squad that occupies the same venue just 50 feet away.
The Silverswords split their doubleheader against in-city rival Hawai'i Pacific University, who also plays at Sand Island Park, in a pair of pitchers' duels. The 'Swords dropped the first game, 1-0, but captured the nightcap, 2-1.
Chaminade, which has won three of its last five, is 7-34 and 6-20 in the Pacific West Conference while the Sharks are 14-24 and 8-12 in the conference. Both games count towards the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge, the annual challenge between Chaminade, HPU and Hawai'i Hilo in all sports which the schools participate in.
Game 1: HPU 1, CUH 0
The Sharks managed to piece together six hits in the opener, eventually getting their run in the top of the fourth on Marissa Marshall's sacrifice fly.
The 'Swords bats couldn't get to Sharks' starter Taylor Thompson, who retired nine of the first 10 batters.
Vanessa Pena (Paramount, Calif./Paramount) got Chaminade's first hit to lead off the bottom of the fourth when left fielder Neva Poulin, on a dead sprint, couldn't make a basket catch on Peña sinking fly ball.
Thompson then retired the next nine hitters before
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) ended the streak with a solid liner to center to open the seventh. Two batters later,
Desiree Bravo (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Centennial HS) got the Silverswords' third hit of the game which was followed by a four-pitch walk to
Summer Buck (Honolulu/Kaiser), loading the bases and putting the tying run at third and the winning run at second with one out.
However the 'Swords couldn't get the big at-bat with a pop-up and game-ending strikeout.
Peña took the loss while Thompson, who produced 16 fly ball outs, got the complete-game win.
Game 2: CUH 2, HPU 1
The nightcap proved to be yet another contest where pitchers owned the circle. Chaminade lefty
Bailey Benson (Cheney, Wash./Gonzaga Preparatory), who faced just one above the minimum in her previous start at Academy of Art, surrendered a second-inning base hit to Jewell Larson but erased her on an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. She also gave up a triple in the third but stranded the runner there.
Gabriella Schneider (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma) opened the bottom of the third with a lead-off walk. Two batters later,
Mimi Smith (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) roped a line drive to the fence in right-center, allowing Schneider to score, and putting the freshman second baseman at third for her first career extra base hit.
The Sharks knotted the score at 1 in their half of the fourth on an error but Benson stranded a runner at third.
In the bottom of the fifth, Smith got her second base hit of the game with a single.
Taryn Fujioka (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City), who saw her 20-game on-base streak end in the first game, singled the opposite way to put runners on first and second.
Bailey Jacobsen (Buena Park, Calif./Cypress) then came up with a clutch two-out single to center, bringing Smith in for the go-ahead run.
Nursing a 2-1 lead, Benson stranded HPU runners in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win for the 'Swords.
Benson, who has not allowed an earned run in her last 14 innings, scattered seven hits and picked up her second win in as many starts. Jacobsen tallied two hits, as did Smith, her first career multi-hit game, with Chaminade getting seven knocks.
Angelica Oseguera went five innings for HPU in taking the loss.
The Silverswords and Sharks will meet for the final time this season in a single game on Sunday at Silversword Field as CUH looks to tie the season series. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.
