HILO — Hawaii-Hilo Softball celebrated its three seniors by finishing out the final home series of the season with a three-game sweep of Chaminade this weekend in Pacific West Conference action at the Vulcan Softball Field.
Vulcans pitchers Madi Lee and Madison Rabe tossed complete-game shutouts in Friday’s doubleheader to earn 3-0 and 4-0 wins, respectively, before Victoria Macias walked off the Silverswords with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 victory on Saturday’s Senior Day.
Following the games, the team celebrated its three departing seniors: second baseman Kiani Nakamura (Redmond, Oregon), pitcher Chloe Sales (‘Ewa Beach, Hawai’i) and shortstop Jayda Favela (‘Ewa Beach, Hawai’i).
Hawaii-Hilo moved to a 19-14 conference record (25-21 overall) as Chaminade moved to 8-28 in PacWest play (9-42 overall). The Vulcans are slotted in at No. 6 in the season standings with the Silverswords at No. 11.
With just one more week to go, teams in order of standings ahead of the Vulcans are: Biola, Concordia, Jessup, Azusa Pacific and Dominican. Jessup is ineligible for postseason competition, leaving the fourth and final spot of the PacWest Championships between Dominican and Hawaii-Hilo. The Penguins need to win just one of their last two games against Menlo next Saturday to clinch. For the Vulcans, they need Dominican to lose both games while coming away with a three-game sweep of HPU next weekend.
Other notes
Lee tossed a 7.0-inning complete-game shutout in giving up just four hits and three walks while helping herself with three defensive assists. Lee had just one strikeout and induced 16 groundouts — Favela had a team-high six assists. Lexie Tilton drove in the Vulcans first two runs with an RBI base hit in the first inning and a well-executed squeeze bunt in the bottom of the third.
Rabe followed up with another complete-game shutout with five hits and two walks allowed. She induced 17 flyouts with Ke’alohi Markham recording six putouts in center field. Favela provided an RBI single to break a scoreless contest in the bottom of the fifth before Chenoa Cainglit and Nakamura roped doubles to plate three total runs in the sixth.
Macias powered the Vulcans in Game 3 with a solo homer in the first inning and later the walk-off double. Favela drove in the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning before notching her 200th career hit to help set up Macias for the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh. Sales earned the complete-game victory.
Favela became just the third player in program history to eclipse 200 career hits.
Macias eclipsed the century mark for career hits as the sophomore entered the program’s top 10 for career home runs, doubles and RBI.
Up next:
1 p.m. Friday vs. HPU (DH) (Honolulu/Mauli Ola Sports Complex at Sand Island Park)
PacWest Hawaii Challenge:
The Vulcans wrapped up the highest points total for the softball section of the PacWest Hawaii Challenge, a friendly competition between the three Division-II Hawaii schools. Hawaii-Hilo has gone a combined 9-0 against both Chaminade and HPU this spring with three matchups remaining with the Sharks. At the close of the winter season, HPU led both Chaminade and Hawaii-Hilo by a single point.
