Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

Game 1 (W, 6-0)

The Poets didn't waste any time in game one putting up five runs on just one hit in the first inning chasing Leopard starter Lindsay Godwin.

With one out to start the bottom of the first, Emi Shimamoto was hit by a pitch and was followed by a Mercedez Cundiff walk.  After a Mickala Gonzales pop out, Jordan Learn and Samantha Mellano grabbed walks that brought in the first run of the contest.  Courtney DeLano then stepped up and hit a 3-2 changeup down the left field line and if it was fair it would have been gone, but came back on the next pitch to hit her first grand slam of her career to dead center that put the Poets in front 5-0.

La Verne looked like they would respond in the second getting bases loaded with just one out but DeLano buckled down retiring the next two batters before shutting down the Leopard bats the rest of the game retiring 13 in a row en route to picking up her seventh win on the season after scattering a mere three hits. 

DeLano is now in sole possession of second place in the Whittier College softball record books in career wins surpassing former teammate Jessica Rosnack. 

Delano finished 2-3 for the game with four RBI's and a run scored.  She was joined by Alexandra Flores who also finished 2-3 with a run scored. 

Godwin was charged with the loss and is now 2-3 on the season.  She was relieved by Rachel Hong who threw the next 5.1 innings giving up just one run on three hits to go with five strikeouts.         

Game 2 (W, 4-1)

In game two of the doubleheader La Verne struck first due to an error by Learn at shortstop that put Danielle Vela on second base, who eventually scored.  It looked like they would add more getting runners on first and second but freshman Samantha Blum would settle down inducing a pop up and striking out Jackie Duran to end the threat.

In the bottom half of the inning Whittier would tie the game.  With two outs, Gonzales singled to center that moved Cundiff to second.  Learn then came up and poked one into the outfield, but it wasn't deep enough forcing Cundiff to hold at third but as she made her turn she was interfered with by the third baseman allowing her to come home scoring the Poets first run.     

After the first inning, Blum settled into her niche and put down the next nine Leopard batters capped off with a double play ball in the top of the fourth.  In the third, Whittier would go in front following a Gonzales double down the left field line and a single by Learn and would tack on an insurance run in the fourth thanks to a Shimamoto double to center that scored Flores.

This would be all the run support Blum would need as she would induce another double play ball in the sixth and strand a runner in the seventh as the Poets would hold on for the sweep. 

Blum picked up her fourth win on the season and is now 4-1 after giving up one unearned run on four hits along with five strikeouts.  Katherine Kibbe was tagged with the loss, her second of the season after giving up three runs on nine hits in just 4.1 innings.  

Whittier bounces back tomorrow, Saturday, March 15 as they travel to Thousand Oaks, Calif. to take on Cal Lutheran University with game times set for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.