HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Safea Villaruz-Mauai hit two home runs, including a grand slam, as Chaminade defeated Wichita State 6-4 on Monday evening at Les Murakami Stadium.
Wichita State hit into three double plays and stranded nine baserunners, coming up short despite outhitting the Silverswords, 11-4.
Villaruz-Mauai staked Chaminade to a 4-0 lead just five hitters into the first inning. Wichita State starter
MJ Seo (0-1) walked two and hit a batter to load the bases with one out and Villaruz-Mauai lined a grand slam over the wall in right for an early Silverswords lead. WSU got three runs back in the next half inning, one via a
Lane Haworth RBI single and two more courtesy of
Logan Kreske's first Wichita State hit, a two-run single that made it 4-3.
Villaruz-Mauai struck again in the bottom of the third, slicing a solo home run to left-center that extended the Chaminade lead to 5-3. A suicide squeeze bunt from Trysten Mooney in the fourth restored the advantage to 6-3.
The Shockers had multiple chances over the late innings to cut into the lead, but stranded runners at second and third in the sixth, first and second in the seventh, and a golden opportunity in the eighth. In that frame, WSU loaded the bases with nobody out then got a pinch-hit RBI single from
Cole Dillon that trimmed the Silverswords lead to 6-4. Chaminade reliever Mac Zawistoski induced a strikeout and a double play to escape the threat and Joseph Perez worked a 1-2-3 ninth to nail down his second save.
Ryan Shimabukuro (1-0) picked up the win, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings after Chaminade starter Brennan Panis went the first 3.2.
Caleb Anderson,
JC Dermody,
Arnad Mulamekic Jeremiah Arnett and
Nick Potter allowed just two runs over 8.2 innings out of the Shocker bullpen, striking out 10 along the way.
Wichita State returns to Eck Stadium for the home opener against Cal State Fullerton on Friday, February 28. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm CT.