It went by in a blur and then there were only two games left to play.
The UH-Hilo softball team swept a doubleheader from Chaminade on Friday by scores of 5-1 and 11-3, and two more wins Saturday would give the Vulcans (30-17, 19-9 in the Pacific West Conference) one more win on the season and one more in conference play than they achieved last year, the first season for coach Peejay Brun.
“We don’t want it to end but finishing strong has got to be the focus now,” said sophomore Bailey Gaspar, who hit two more home runs Friday, giving her five for the season, three behind teammate Cristina Menjivar. “We wanted to be in the playoffs, but that didn’t happen so the next best thing is to finish on a high and send our seniors out that way.
“They have been such a big part of what we’ve accomplished,” Gaspar said of outfielders Angela Aguinaga, Brandi Wilson and second baseman Brittany Huff, “we owe it to them to finish really well.”
The Vulcans won the second game in a mercy rule-shortened affair after scoring six runs in the bottom of the fifth that opened with a double by Victoria Garcia, a single by Huff and then Menjivar hit her team-leading eighth home run of the season.
“I can’t really explain it,” said Menjivar, who played at two schools in Northern California, took two years off and walked on at UHH. “I ßwas never a home run hitter but after two years off I’m hitting home runs, I have no idea why that’s happened.”
She did admit concentrating on making “hard, solid contact,” off former Waiakea High School’s Chelsea Camello, a graduating senior who allowed 11 hits and all 11 runs, dropping her record to 4-16 for the Silverswords (11-35, 6-24).
It all got started in the second inning when Gaspar hit her second home run of the day, within a foot or two of the one she stroked over the right center field fence in the first game. Third baseman Chenoa Au blooped a pitch over the third baseman’s head, but still on dirt infield and turned it into a double then scored moments later when left fielder Mari Kawano stroked a triple to the base of the fence in right field for a 2-0 lead.
Catcher Danielle Pulido then walked and drew a throw to first, prompting Kawano to break off third and cross the plate for the third run before a throw could be made to the plate.
Danielle Wilson worked out of a bases loaded jam after a single and back-to-back walks with two outs before getting pinch-hitter Kaitlin Kim to pop out and end the threat.
Billi Derleth came in to relieve Wilson but she was ineffective, hitting the first batter before walking the second and giving up a two-run triple to Rainelle Matsuoka. Derleth then started and stopped a delivery, was called for an illegal pitch and Matsuoka was awarded home plate. Wilson came back in to get the final two outs and it was 5-3 headed to the bottom of the fifth.
Hawaii Hilo 5, Chaminade 1: After a sleepy start in which they were hitless through three innings, the Vulcans’ bats woke up in the fourth after Chaminade got the game’s first run in top half of the inning on two hits and an error.
First baseman Cristina Menjivar led off with a single and came around on Gaspar’s home run, a deep shot to right-centerfield that made it 2-1. Brandi Wilson singled and reached second on a fielder’s choice by Angela Aguinaga that became a fielding error on the second baseman and Kawano’s double just to the left of straightaway centerfield scored both runners.
They got one more in the sixth when Rebecca Fong, pinch-hitting for Au, reached on an infield error, then Au came in to pinch run, promptly stole second on the first pitch and eventually scored on a throwing error.
In her third start of the season, Cyanne Fernandez went the distance, scattering six hits, striking out five and walking just one batter. Two weeks ago, Fernandez was given the start at Chaminade, went 5 2/3 innings and earned the 5-2 win.
“Felt real good out there,” said Fernandez, a sophomore from Honolulu by way of Texas A&M-Commerce, who improved her record to 6-1 after pitching most of the season in relief.
If this was an audition of sorts for a spot in the starting rotation next year, Fernandez is ready to sign up.
“That’s definitely my goal, to be a starter, but I know I’ll have to earn it,” she said.
The season will end without a playoff berth, but Fernandez said the team is moving past that.
“We have a chance to improve on last year’s record (with a four-game sweep),” so that’s the focus now. We just want to get better, year-by-year. If we can’t of one thing, like get to the playoffs, we want to do the next thing — improve our record.”
They have two more opportunities to do that, starting Sataurday at noon against Hawaii Pacific.
