Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College softball team remained in playoff contention and moved into fourth place in the SCIAC standings Sunday afternoon after they swept the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer 10-0 and 7-3.
Whittier saw their bats come alive after being swept by Redlands on Saturday afternoon starting their run to yet another playoff berth.
Game 1 (W, 10-0)
Whittier only needed five innings to dismiss the Sagehens in Game 1 thanks to strong pitching performance from Courtney DeLano who pitched 4.0 innings surrendering a mere hit, while Mercedez Cundiff led the offense crushing two homeruns and combining for five runs batted in and two runs scored.
Cundiff connected on her first homerun in the bottom half of the 2nd driving in three before Alexandra Flores drove a single to right center that brought around Jordan learn.
Whittier added two more in the bottom half of the 3rd when Xzandra Miranda-Castro doubled down the right field line plating Mickala Gonzales before Cundiff followed with a two run shot to left that extended the Poet lead to seven.
But they weren't done there as they brought around another three in the 4th thanks to a Miranda-Castro who homered to left center that moved the score to 10-0 propelling the Poets to the lopsided victory.
Game 2 (W, 7-3)
In game two, Whittier received another strong pitching performance from Jessica Rosnack who threw a complete game giving up three runs on five hits with all being unearned. She got into a little jam in the first inning when Pomona-Pitzer brought around two behind two errors by Rosnack and a throwing error by Samantha Mellano but after the first frame Rosnack shut down the Sagehen bats picking up her seventh win on the season.
After being held scoreless in the first, Whittier jumped out in front with a three spot in the second. With two outs, Learn singled down the right field line and then advanced on a wild pitch. Courtney Grana then followed with a single to right field bringing home Learn and then moved up after Alyse Gutierrez walked. Flores then singled to second base which loaded the bases and then Cindy Loza singled to short bringing in Grana. Following the hit, Mellano walked bringing home Gutierrez and that's where the rally would stop as Gonzales would groundout to stop the threat.
The Poets opened the game up in the 4th with a four spot thanks to two singles from Castro and Cundiff and a double from Learn that moved the score to 7-2 and despite a late run by the Sagehens on a Tokunaga single down the right field line in the 6th that brought around a run, Whittier ended the threat preserving the four run victory.
Whittier returns to the diamond this Friday, April 12 when they travel to Orange, Calif. to take on the Panthers of Chapman University with game times set for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
