HONOLULU – After a pair of decisive defeats in Friday's series opening doubleheader against Point Loma, the Chaminade University baseball team put together two edge-of-your-seat performances in Saturday's series finale against perennial Pacific West Conference power Point Loma at the University of Hawai'i Manoa's Les Murakami Stadium.
The Silverswords held a three-run lead in Saturday's first game before the Sea Lions rallied in the ninth for their 8-6 win. Point Loma then had to hang on in the final inning in the final game of the series, surviving a 4-3 decision and sweep the season series.
Evon Williams (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley) drove in four total runs in the doubleheader for the 'Swords, who fell to 17-28 overall and 15-25 in the Pacific West Conference.
The Sea Lions, ranked No. 25 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Media Poll, improved to 30-12 and 26-10 in the conference. PLNU has won all eight meetings between the two programs.
Game 1: PLNU 8, CUH 6
Chaminade answered Point Loma's second-inning run with a four-spot in the second.
Trysten Mooney (Helena, Mont./Wenatchee Valley College/Capital HS) got the 'Swords on the board with a sacrifice fly followed by Williams' RBI double which put them ahead for the first time in the series.
Brayden Braga (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley), who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning, then drove in two, giving CUH a 4-1 lead.
The score held until the fifth when PLNU scored three times to knot the score then took a 6-4 lead in the sixth.
Williams drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly, bringing the 'Swords to within, 6-5. The sophomore shortstop wasn't done bringing teammates home. In the eighth and Mooney at third, Williams hit a Baltimore chop off the plate. The high bounce allowed Mooney to scamper home with the tying score.
However, the Sea Lions responded in the ninth with two runs.
Cade Fujii's (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) double in the bottom of the frame, brought the tying run to the plate but came up short in the end.
Williams and Fujii had two hits each with the former driving in three.
Joseph Perez (Goodyear, Ariz./Glendale CC/Verrado HS) was charged with the loss.
Jack Bunnell got the win in relief for the Sea Lions with Michael Sarhatt getting the save.
Game 2: PLNU 4, CUH 3
The seven-inning series finale saw the Sea Lions plate two runs in the second and one in the fifth and sixth for a 4-0 lead.
Point Loma starter Brock Mayer allowed just three hits and a walk in his first 6 1/3 innings of work. But in the seventh, Lady Luck seemed to side with the 'Swords. The Sea Lions committed two infield errors on back-to-back at-bats. A dropped pop-up at third base was followed by second baseman Luke Reece dropping a throw from first baseman Jake Schwartz on a force play at second.
After
Jackson Dorn (Happy Valley, Ore./Mt. Hood CC/Clackamas HS) was plunked to load the bases,
Ace Perry (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/University), who entered as a defensive replacement in the sixth, dropped a liner down the right field line, bringing in two runs and chasing Mayer from the mound. Williams got Chaminade's third run of the frame on a sacrifice fly, bringing them to within 4-3 and Perry at second as the tying run. However, the 'Swords were not able to bring him in.
Mac Elske (Lake Oswego, Ore./Lower Columbia CC/Lakeridge HS) suffered the loss for the 'Swords, who were held to four hits in the finale with Kudell getting half of them.
Mayer got the win while Sarhatt was summoned from the bullpen for the second time in the doubleheader, picking up his second save of the day.
The Silverswords are next in action on Tuesday, returning to Les Murakami Stadium as the visiting team to face Hawai'i, their Division I counterparts for the second time this season. The Rainbow Warriors won the first meeting, 9-4, on March 11. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
