WHITTIER, Calif. - The Whittier College
softball team pitched its second and third consecutive shutouts on
Sunday afternoon in a double header sweep of visiting La Sierra
University. The Poets won the first game 8-0 and took the second
game 10-0.
Whittier (6-1) needed only five innings in each game to claim
victory.
As an encore to her perfect game on Saturday afternoon against
Occidental, Jessica Rosnack threw 4.1 innings of
shutout ball in Game 2. The freshman hurler struck out six Golden
Eagles and retired the first seven batters before allowing her
first hit in two outings.
Rosnack gave way to Erica Zamora who struck out
two of the three batters she faced to close out the LSU half of the
fifth.
Whittier got run support early in the night cap of the twin bill
with a five spot in the first inning. Kellie
Canida led off the game with a triple and scored four
batters later on Janae Townsend's three RBI
double.
One batter later Townsend was brought home as Amanda
Carrasco blasted her third home run of the season to put
the Poets up 5-0.
WC increased its lead to 6-0 at the end of two and put the mercy
rule into play with four runs in the home half of the fifth.
Townsend started the fifth with a one-out double and scored on
an RBI single by Carrasco. Morgan Oliver reached
on a fielder's choice and Jennifer Luders ended
the game with a three-run homerun to left center.
The Poets scored their 10 runs on nine hits and Rosnack improved
to 3-0 on the season.
In the first game of the day the Whittier bats were held in
check but the purple and gold still managed eight runs. As a team
the Poets totaled only three hits but gave starting pitcher
Heather Dady more than enough run support for the
junior to pick up her second win in as many days.
Dady threw all five innings and scattered four hits with six
strike outs.
Mary Pacheco had one of the three WC hits in
her first plate appearance. She needed only pitch to put the Poets
up 1-0 with her fourth homerun of the season.
Whittier pushed four runs across the plate in the fourth inning
on no hits. The inning stayed alive on three La Sierra errors. The
Poets tacked on its final three runs in the bottom of the fifth en
route to the 8-0 win.
Townsend and Carrasco each had a hit in the second game.
The Poets return to action on Thursday, February 25, as they
take on Chapman University in a double header that was originally
scheduled for the season opener. First pitch of Game 1 is slated
for 4 pm.
