WAIPAHU, O'ahu, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University baseball team got their first two wins of the 2026 season Friday by sweeping Saint Martin's in a doubleheader at Hans L'Orange Field.
The Silverswords capped off a 4-2 opening game victory with an 11-3 win in the seven-inning nightcap, highlighted by a record 10-run sixth in which the 'Swords homered twice during the frame.
Cade Fujii (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) and
Taylor Ayala (Bountiful, Utah/Salt Lake CC/Woods Cross HS) each had three total hits on the day. The former drove in three runs while delivering the go-ahead two-run blast in the Game 2 sixth inning while the latter crushed a grand slam later in the frame.
Chaminade is 2-3 on the season while Saint Martin's, whose 40-man roster has 21 Hawai'i natives, fell to 2-5.
Game 1: CUH 4, SMU 2
The 'Swords plated the game's first two runs in the fourth on
Trysten Mooney's (Helena, Mont./Wenatchee Valley College/Capital HS) bases-loaded walk. The next batter,
Brayden Braga (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley), brought in their second run, hustling down the first base line to beat a potential inning-ending double play which allowed
Bode Poler (Montesano, Wash./Gonzaga University/Montesano HS) to cross the plate.
Fujii's sacrifice fly in the fifth was the Silverswords' third run and two batters later, Poler hit a comebacker which deflected off the pitcher's glove to plate
Cameron Breeze (Temecula, Calif./San Diego City College/Paloma Valley HS), making it 4-0.
CUH starter
Chris Cody (Orange, Calif./Irvine Valley College/El Modena HS) did not allow a run through 5 1/3 innings before the Saints got him for two in the sixth.
Ryan Kepple (Dana Point, Calif./Saddleback College/Capistrano Valley Christian HS) and
Chris Mata (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/South Mountain CC/Maui HS) tossed the final three innings of scoreless relief to give Chaminade its first win of the season.
Fujii and Mooney each had a pair of knocks while Cody's six strong frames earned him the win. Mata went the final 1 1/3 to pick up the save.
Blaze Wong, one of the 21 from the islands, was tagged with the loss.
Game 2: CUH 11, SMU 1
Alex Greb (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second but the Saints answered with single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings.
Down to their last four outs, the 'Swords got a one-out RBI triple in the bottom of the sixth from Poler, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Fujii then clobbered his two-run jack to put the home team ahead, 4-2. Two batters later, Greb singled in Chaminade's fifth run then pinch hitter
Caleb Wagner (Menifee, Calif./Mesa) scalded a double into the right-field corner to drive in two more.
After
Jaren Banis (Wahiawa, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) drew a walk to load the bases, Ayala promptly emptied them with a majestic grand slam over the left field fence to put the finishing touches of their record 10-spot in the frame. The team's previous record for runs in an inning was eight set twice last season at Fresno Pacific and Jessup.
Jacob Petersen (Sammamish, Wash./Everett CC/Skyline HS), summoned with one out in the sixth, allowed just one hit in his final 1 2/3 innings of relief to pick up his first win of the season.
Greb and Ayala each had two hits while the 'Swords' first five hitters in the lineup card had six of their eight hits in the nightcap.
Hudson Normand was charged with the loss.
The Silverswords will open Pacific West Conference action on Friday, Feb. 13 with a four-game series at Concordia University Irvine.
