HONOLULU – The Chaminade University baseball team on Friday rallied from an early six-run deficit to down Vanguard University, 11-7, in the opener of their four-game Pacific West Conference series at Les Murakami Stadium.
Cade Fujii (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) drove in three runs while
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS) and
Evon Williams (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley) had two each, helping the Silverswords erase a 7-1 deficit entering the third inning.
Safea Villaruz-Mauai (Hilo, Hawai'i/BYU/Waiakea HS) and Dorn each had three hits while 'Swords pitching held the Lions without a run in the final seven frames.
Chaminade improved to 16-22 overall and 14-19 in the PacWest while Vanguard fell to 23-16 and 19-14 in the conference.
Down three runs in the first, Fujii got the 'Swords on the board with a run-producing single. Vanguard exploded for four more in the second, putting Chaminade in a 7-1 hole after two frames.
Then in the third, the Silverswords put the first three runners on with Villaruz-Mauai driving in the inning's leadoff batter,
Jake Harper (San Pedro, Calif./El Camino College/San Pedro HS).
Casey Kudell (Irvine, Calif./Irvine Valley College/Irvine HS) drove in another run and, with the bases loaded, Dorn came up with a two-out opposite field single to bring in two more, making it 7-5. Williams kept the train going with an RBI knock then Harper came up for the second time in the inning and put Chaminade up 8-7 with a two-run single, completing their seven-run third.
Williams added another RBI in the fifth and Fujii drove in two more in the eighth.
Meanwhile, the 'Swords pitching buckled down from the third inning on. Starter
Mac Zawistoski (Coto de Caza, Calif./JSerra Catholic), who was roughed up in the first two innings, tossed a scoreless third.
Chris Cody (Orange, Calif./Irvine Valley College/El Modena HS) came in with two on in the fourth, walked his first batter to load the bases but got the inning-ending double play with no damage done.
Cody managed to navigate out of trouble over the next four innings by allowing no runs.
Joseph Perez (Goodyear, Ariz./Glendale CC/Verrado HS) then closed out the ninth. Cody got the win to improve his record to 4-3.
The Silversword and Lions meet in the second game of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Les Murakami Stadium.
