Callen Perreira doesn’t make it a routine to walk up to Valerie Alvarado and tell her, “Hey, throw another shutout.”
The UH-Hilo senior softball ace has pitched two in a row and compiled 29 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Vulcans (7-0) will be at their home away from home when they play Chaminade (6-4) in a pair of doubleheaders, noon and Sunday, at Howard Okita field in Kaneohe, Oahu.
Alvarado (3-0, 0.23 ERA) has pitched 30 innings, allowed 17 hits and 16 walks, and opponents are batting .172 against her. But she’s getting the silent treatment from her coach.
“I don’t want to,” Perreira said. “It’s like pitching a no-hitter. You don’t say anything.”
What’s most impressive about Alvarado’s streak is that she’s not overpowering anyone. She has just 10 strikeouts. Runners get on base, but they just don’t score, not in PacWest Hawaii pod games.
One key reason is UHH’s defense, which is second in the PacWest with a .982 fielding percentage, only four errors in 221 chances. Dominican, in the Northern California pod, leads at .985.
“Our defense has been very good. We’re strong up the middle with shortstop Kiarra Lincoln and second baseman Darian Obara,” Perreira said. “Our last full year, we were second in fielding. We’ll need to continue to do that. As you know, defense wins games.”
The only thing better than second is to be first in a category. The Vulcans are first in hitting (.317) and pitching (1.29 ERA) in the PacWest.
Chaminade is sixth in hitting (.272), seventh in pitching (3.23 ERA), and third in fielding (.968). So the Vulcans can throw names in a hat for the next announcement of the PacWest Hawaii pod player of the week honor right?
Not so fast. In a bizarro world turn of events, Chaminade, the longtime doormat, has leapfrogged Hawaii Pacific, the longtime perennial powerhouse, at least for this season and maybe for the foreseeable future, too.
Much of the success is due to senior right-hander Madelyn Stockslager (4-3, 3.10 ERA). Not exactly outstanding stats, but all four of her wins are against the Sharks, who are last in hitting, pitching and fielding in the PacWest.
It’s obvious that HPU, a private self-sufficient institution, doesn’t have the talent or scholarship funds it once enjoyed. That hasn’t seeped into women’s basketball just yet. The Sharks went undefeated in the PacWest Hawaii pod season but got run over at the West Regional, falling hard to Azusa Pacific 72-59.
Stockslager also engaged Alvarado in a pitchers’ duel in a 2-1 extra-innings loss March 20 at Kealakehe High. Stockslager pitched nine innings of two-run ball in the loss. But Alvarado was better; she fired nine innings of one-run (unearned) ball in a no-decision. Sara Bhatt threw an inning for the win.
Perreira is in good shape with his pitching. Bhatt is just a freshman, and Leah Gonzales made her first appearance last week in a 10-7 win over HPU. The senior right-hander pitched five innings of two-run relief for the victory.
“Sara did very well in our scrimmage. She has the ability,” Perreira said. “Leah is in a really good role coming on in relief. She looks a lot different than our other pitchers. She’s got a really good changeup curve. When she keeps it low, it’s pretty much unhittable.”
In UHH’s last game, the backups stepped up. Alana Alvarez, a sophomore from Corona, Calif., started at first base and went 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Taisha Bratton, a freshman from Moreno Valley, Calif., batted 1 for 3 with a walk.
Yes, it’s early, and it’s only been seven games, but Markie Okamoto has been volcano-lava hot. The junior catcher, from Mililani is hitting .500 with a .591 slugging clip. Vevesi Liilii is right behind. The senior center fielder, out of Iolani, is batting .423 with a .692 slugging percentage. Chloe Domingo is the other hitter in the Ted Williams ballpark. The sophomore third baseman, from Campbell, is hitting .400 with a .500 slugging clip.
“Markie has been swinging at pitches in the strike zone, and obviously staying away from bad pitches,” Perreira said. “She’s been going with the pitch and making good adjustments. Besides her hard work, she’s been taking extra batting practice.”
Life is all good for Perreira. His team is topping the PacWest charts in hitting and pitching and second in fielding. His ace, Alvarado, is on a King Kong/Godzilla roll but don’t tell her that. And even the weather is expected to be postcard-perfect on Oahu.
“My weather app says it’ll be nice this weekend and pour again on Monday,” he said. “We’re looking good right now.”