HONOLULU – Twenty-four hours after handing Concordia University Irvine its first Pacific West Conference loss of the season, the Chaminade University softball team on Thursday was looking for another upset in the finale of the team's three-game series.
Instead, the Golden Eagles emphatically quelled all notions of a second straight Silverswords' win, scoring all its runs in the first three innings to capture the series with a 16-6, five-inning win at Silversword Field at Sand Island Park.
Despite losing the series,
Desiree Bravo (Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio College/Centennial HS) continued to swing a hot bat, collecting two more hits to extend her hitting streak to seven while
Miranda Diaz (Whittier, Calif./Cerritos College/California HS) also had two hits and drove in three runs for the Silverswords, who ended their 20-game home stand at 4-23 overall and 3-9 in the Pacific West Conference.
Bravo, who has five multi-base hits in her last six games, is hitting .523 (11-for-21) during her current hitting streak. Diaz's three RBI gave her 16 RBI on the season, tying her with
Larchelle Tuifao (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) for the team lead.
CUI (17-3, 8-1 PacWest) plated five runs in the first, although all three of their hits in the inning were end-of-the-bat flares that dropped between the infielder and outfielders.
The Golden Eagles tacked on three in the second inning but the third was where they made their loudest noise. Eight batters came to the plate and seven runs scored before the 'Swords could get an out.
Chaminade did have an early chance, getting three straight hits in the bottom of the first to load the bases but couldn't push them across.
Diaz finally put the 'Swords on the board with a two-out RBI in the third. In the fourth, the 'Swords still showed a lot of fight.
Alena Frost (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Castle) drove in her first career run on a groundout.
Lex Lopez (Visalia, Calif./Redwood) scored on a wild pitch followed by an RBI single from
Summer Buck (Honolulu/Kaiser), one of her two knocks on the day. Diaz then doubled to left to drive in two more runs and suddenly, the 'Swords threatened to remove the five-inning run-rule from the equation.
However, they could not get the three runs necessary in the fifth to extend the game.
Although CUH pitching took their lumps early,
Anissa Vital (San Pedro, Calif./Mary Star of the Sea), the team's fourth hurler of the afternoon, managed to silence the CUI reserve bats, tossing two scoreless innings. Starter
Kamryn Lopez (Bakersfield, Calif./Garces Memorial) was tagged with the loss.
Kailey Estes picked up the win for Concordia.
The Silverswords now head to northern California for a 12-game, two-week road trip, which begins March 14 at new PacWest member Jessup University in Lincoln, California.
