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For two softball players who claim not to try to hit home runs, Anuhea Kekauoha and Christine Pascua go deep often. Two seniors supply
power for ’SwordsBy Brandon Lee
Star-BulletinThe Chaminade teammates, both seniors in their second seasons with the Silverswords, are tied for third in the Pacific West Conference with five home runs apiece.
The two trail the PacWest leader, Andrea Williams of Humboldt State, by only two.
"I don't try really try to hit home runs," said the 5-foot-6 Kekauoha, who normally plays in left field but also catches on occasion. "It's just something that happens and if it does, it does."
"I don't think I'm really a home-run hitter. My swing is more for contact, to get hits," said the 5-9 Pascua. Pascua regularly plays first base, but also spends some time behind the plate.
Pascua graduated from University High and spent her first two collegiate seasons at the University of Hawaii before transferring. Kekauoha graduated from Kailua and spent her first two college seasons at Brigham Young-Hawaii.
Both are more than home run hitters, as their lofty batting averages and respectable fielding percentages attest. Pascua's .403 average entering this week's play was third best overall in the PacWest, while Kekauoha's .381 was good for eighth. Pascua has a .993 fielding percentage, and Kekauoha .905.
Still, both admit that crushing the ball out of the park is the biggest thrill in the game for them. And it's a good thing for the Silverswords (16-15, 7-7 PacWest) that they have two players who can be relied on to score with one swing of their bats, since the rest of their offense has struggled for extended stretches this season.
Chaminade has only one other batter above .300. Despite both Silverswords pitchers giving up less than three runs per game, they don't get enough regular run support to be more than statistically average in the win-loss column.
"It always seems to work out that when those two are hitting, they bring the rest of the team with them," said Chaminade coach Allison Nihei. "It's a momentum builder for the (rest of the) girls.
But when they are not hitting, it seems like pulling teeth to get someone (else) to hit."
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, and only 10 of them against conference rivals, the Silverswords don't have much of a shot at catching Pacific Division front-runner Hawaii Pacific.
HPU is six games ahead of second-place Chaminade, and barring collapse, will secure the division's automatic bid to the PacWest postseason tournament. An at-large bid -- determined by the complex Strength of Schedule Index formula -- is similarly unlikely.
After helping the Silverswords to the first winning season in the program's history last year (24-23, 13-9), Kekauoha and Pascua have the opportunity to help make it back-to-back winning campaigns.
Up next is a series at Hawaii-Hilo (19-15, 6-6), with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.
Hawaii Pacific
BYU-Hawaii
Chaminade
U.H. Hilo