REDLANDS, Calif. - The Whittier College
softball team had its season end on Friday, May 1, in the first day
of the 2009 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Postseason Tournament. The Poets lost its first game to No. 1 seed
Redlands, 7-5, and lost in the first elimination game of the
tournament to No. 3 seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 9-0.
The Poets (24-18) gave top seeded and No. 25 Redlands all it
could handle in the first game. Amanda Carrasco
hit a two-run homerun that scored Brenda Thompson
in the top of the second inning to give the purple and gold the
early lead.
Redlands (28-10) cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom
of the second on a sacrifice fly. The Poets recorded the third out
of the inning on that play but not before the Bulldogs' Lindsey
Henry scored.
The Poets held the Bulldogs to just one hit over the next three
innings but Whittier couldn't take advantage as it left a combined
seven runners on base from the third to the sixth inning which
includes a runner on third base in three of those innings.
Redlands started its half of the sixth with a double, a single
and walk to load the bases with no one out. The Bulldogs
pushed its first run of the inning across the plate on a fielder's
choice and one batter later cleared the bases with a grand slam to
left field. UR went back-to-back as the next batter hit a solo shot
to give Redlands the 7-2 lead.
The Bulldogs continued to threaten but they left the bases
loaded to end its half of the sixth with six runs on six hits.
Whittier didn't go quietly as Mary Pacheco led
off the inning with a double. Amanda Webster hit
an infield single to the pitcher to advance Pacheco to third but an
error allowed her to score to cut the lead to 7-3 with no outs in
the seventh.
Molly Yriarte was hit by a pitch and Carrasco
singled through the right side to load the bases with one out.
Vicky Ovieda drew an RBI walk to pull the Poets
within three and Nicole Acevedo kept the inning
alive with an RBI single to right center field to put the go ahead
run at first base with one out.
Amanda Brown went down on strikes in the next
at bat and Dyan Acevedo hit into a force out at
third to leave three runners stranded.
The Poets had the quick turnaround as they faced the Athenas for
the third time in six days in the first elimination game of the
tournament.
Claremont-M-S (27-13) struck early as they scored three runs in
the bottom of the first and added four more runs in the second take
a 7-0 lead. CMS added two more runs in the fourth inning and that
would be all they needed.
Whittier managed only three hits in the second game and left
five runners on base.
Carrasco led the offensive charge in the first game as she went
2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Pacheco and Webster each
added a pair of hits.
Carrasco was one of only three players to record a hit in the
second game. Nicole Acevedo and Brown had the other two hits.
