WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier college softball team' pitching staff has a lot to be happy about Friday evening after senior Jessica Rosnack and junior Courtney DeLano put together their best pitching performances of the season against Occidental College.
Delano got the call in game one and tossed a one hitter against the Tigers picking up her eighth win of the season before Rosnack did her one better throwing a perfect game shutting out the Tigers in game two of the doubleheader.
The Poets combined for 21 runs on 23 hits in just ten innings of work winning game one 9-0 before routing Oxy 12-0 in game two.
Game 1 (W, 9-0)
Delano was in total control from start to finish in game one surrendering just one hit, while striking out five. Down the stretch she was untouchable keeping the Oxy bats quiet. She received help though early when the Poets struck first getting five in the bottom half of the second.
After a leadoff single from Delano, the Poets totaled another four hits from Emi Shimamoto, Alexandra Flores, Cindy Loza, and Samantha Mellano, which included a bases clearing triple from Loza that sparked the Poet rally.
But Whittier wasn't done there as they added one in the 3rd thanks to a Flores double to right center and then three more in the 4th that propelled them to the lopsided victory. On her birthday, Courtney Grana came up with her biggest hit on the afternoon poking a double to center that plated Jordan Learn and Mercedez Cundiff that brought in the final two runs during the Poet rally.
Flores finished the game going 2-4 with a run scored and 2 RBI's, while Loza finished 1-3 with three runs batted in and a run scored.
Game 2 (W, 12-0)
At the conclusion of the game, Rosnack met up with the Whittier College Sports Network discussing how her only other perfect game was against Occidental College back during her freshman campaign.
This was a major milestone for her especially during her senior season and she received plenty of insurance after the Poets posted 12 runs in just five innings.
Whittier put together a big inning in the bottom half of the second bringing across nine runs going through the entire lineup before recording an out. Something that was also remarkable was how every player in the starting lineup came across to score at least once in the game., which was the first time this has happened in the Whittier College softball record books.
During that big inning the Purple & Gold combined for nine hits with four of them coming from Learn and Shimamoto. The big hit though in the inning was Flores' double down the left field line that brought around two that opened the game up.
But the Poet bats didn't quiet down as they brought around three more in the ensuing inning sparked by a two run blast from Mickala Gonzales that moved the score to 12-0 putting the game out of reach.
On the afternoon, Mellano, Gonzales, Learn, and Shimamoto each recorded two hits a piece, while Gonzales picked up three runs batted in and a run scored.
Whittier returns to SCIAC play tomorrow morning when they travel to Claremont-M-S to take on the Athena's in a SCIAC showdown with game times set for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
