HONOLULU – Monday saw the resumption of Sunday's suspended game between the Chaminade University and Azusa Pacific University baseball teams.
After darkness halted Game 2 of the four-game series at Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park Baseball Complex after 10 innings, the scene shifted to the University of Hawai'i's Les Murakami Stadium with the score knotted at 12.
After a scoreless 11th, the Cougars broke through with an RBI single from Bryce Robinette in the top of the 12th to take the lead. The Silverswords were not able to match the run in their half of the frame.
The slugfest, which took four hours and 55 minutes of total game time, featured five players getting seven at-bats while
Bode Poler (Montesano, Wash./Gonzaga University/Montesano HS) stepped up to the plate eight times.
Cade Fujii (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Porterville College/Kapolei HS) had a game-best four hits including his two-run homer.
Blake Hagerty, who began the game at left field, tossed the final two frames to earn the win for APU. He also drove in five runs.
Ryan Kepple (Dana Point, Calif./Saddleback College/Capistrano Valley Christian HS) took the loss.
Recapping the events of Sunday:
The Cougars forced extra frames after rallying for four runs in the top of the ninth after trailing 12-8. This after the Silverswords themselves put up an eight-spot in the bottom of the eighth after being down 8-4 and trailing by as many as six runs after the top of the sixth.
APU scored five times in the first three innings before Chaminade got its first run in the fifth on an RBI single by
Evon Williams (San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley).
Caleb Kim's (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Christian Academy) run-producing groundout in the sixth narrowed the deficit to 5-2.
After the Cougars got three in the seventh to go up 8-2,
Alex Greb (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) had an RBI two-bagger, then scored on a wild pitch, cutting the deficit in half.
In the eighth, the 'Swords exploded with the eight-run frame, the second-most runs in a single inning this season, only behind the 10 against Saint Martin's on Feb. 6. Fujii and Greb both went yard, the former a two-run blast while the latter a solo jack which narrowed the deficit to 8-7.
Jaren Banis (Wahiawa, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) then knotted the score with his RBI single and
Caleb Kim (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Christian Academy), who led off the inning, drew the go-ahead run with his bases-loaded walk. That was followed by a Cougars error which brought in another run and a wild pitch with another walk with the bases juiced, this time drawn by Williams, plated two more. In all, CUH sent 14 batters to the plate to take a 12-8 edge going into the top of the ninth.
However, Azusa Pacific had other ideas. A sacrifice fly followed by the game-tying three-run homer from Tyler Preece sent the game into extra frames.
Neither team was able to produce a run in the 10th and, with dwindling sunlight, the game was suspended at 6:25 p.m.
