COSTA MESA, Calif. – The Chaminade University baseball team on Saturday split their mid-series doubleheader against Vanguard University at Dean Harvey Field.
The Silverswords won Game 2 of the series, 7-2, behind the first career win for senior
Anthony O'Canas (Woodland, Calif./American River College/Woodland HS), who was backed by 11 Chaminade base hits, which snapped their 12-game losing streak.
The Lions took the nightcap of the twin bill, 3-2, rallying for three runs in the fifth.
Chaminade's pitching, which had allowed double-digit base hits in eight of their previous nine outings, allowed just five total on the afternoon.
The Silverswords are 8-30 and 6-27 in the Pacific West Conference. Vanguard is 11-26 and 8-23 in the PacWest.
Game 1: CUH 7, VU 2
After spotting the Lions two runs in the first inning, Chaminade put runners at second and third with two outs in the third where
Ryden Toyama (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Baptist Academy) made the most of his first career start by lacing a shot up the middle for a two-run single, the freshmen's first collegiate RBIs.
Chaminade took the lead in the fourth on
Alex Greb's (Seattle/Wenatchee Valley College/Ballard HS) RBI single then
Taylor Ayala (Bountiful, Utah/Salt Lake CC/Woods Cross HS) gave the Silverswords a two-run lead, scoring on a wild pitch.
Chris Mata (Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i/South Mountain CC/Maui HS), who was held hitless in two of his previous three games after a school-record 17-game hitting streak, doubled to plate
Jaren Banis (Wahiawa, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) and Greb, making it 6-2.
Aydan Lobetos (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) then added the final touch with a solo homer in the top of the seventh.
Meanwhile, O'Cañas managed to survive the two runs and two hits allowed in the first inning by retiring 15 of the next 17 batters. He did not allow a hit in his final four innings of work with both Vanguard base runners reaching on CUH errors in the fourth.
After walking the first two hitters in the sixth, O'Cañas was relieved by
Jacob Petersen (Sammamish, Wash./Everett CC/Skyline HS), who retired all three batters he faced, the last two via strikeouts. Petersen also retired the side in order in the seventh.
O'Cañas, who had been a hard-luck starter in his previous six starts, got his first career win, allowing the two hits and two runs in the first inning. Petersen sent all six Lions batters he faced back to their dugout. The two hits allowed was the fewest by the Silverswords since Feb. 23, 2024 when they also allowed two knocks against Hawai'i Pacific University.
Mata, Lobetos, Ayala and Banis all had two hits for the 'Swords.
Shamir Marshall took the loss for Vanguard.
Game 2: VU 3, CUH 2
All the scoring in the nightcap came in the fifth inning.
Chaminade broke open a scoreless contest on Mata's RBI single followed by an RBI sacrifice bunt from
Trysten Mooney (Helena, Mont./Wenatchee Valley College/Capital HS), putting the 'Swords up, 2-0.
But the Lions answered with a sacrifice fly followed by the tying and go-ahead runs, driven in by Jaxson Davis, although he was thrown out on a rundown which ended the inning.
Chaminade had the tying runs at second base in the sixth and seventh but could not get them across.
Brennen Panis (Aiea, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Aiea) took the loss, although he might have deserved a better fate after allowing all three runs on just three hits in his five innings. Petersen returned for the second time on the afternoon, tossing a perfect sixth inning and retired all nine batters he faced on Saturday.
Mata had two of Chaminade's four hits on the afternoon.
Dylan Henson got the win for the Lions.
The teams will close out the series in the nine-inning finale on Monday at 11:30 a.m. Hawai'i time.
