Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

CLAREMONT, Calif. – For the third time this season, the Whittier College softball team has been swept as they dropped a pair of games Saturday to Pomona-Pitzer 8-7 and 4-1.

This marks the fourth straight loss for the Purple & Gold as they drop to 15-9, 9-3 SCIAC but they still hold onto the top spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings as they hold a one game lead over Claremont-M-S.

Game 1 (Pomona-Pitzer – 8, Whittier – 7) – 8 Innings

After putting up four runs in the first inning and holding a 7-4 lead in the seventh, the Poets couldn't hold on in game one as PP added three in the bottom half of the seventh to tie things up before bringing across the game winner in the eighth.

The four runs came across in the first on a hit from Ashlyn Canchola (La Verne, Calif.) a suicide squeeze from Samantha Mellano (Fullerton, Calif.), and two sacrifice flies from Marialena Ahern (Fremont, Calif.) and Samantha Blum (San Jose, Calif.).

Whittier stretched the lead to 5-2 in the second thanks to a Mercedez Cundiff (Rowland, Calif.) single and would get another two in the fourth and seventh behind a wild pitch that plated Emi Shimamoto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and a solo shot from Ahern that moved the score to 7-4. 

But in the bottom half of the seventh, the Sagehens mounted their comeback.  With two outs, they had runners on second and third and managed to bring them around to score on a throwing error by Ahern.  They would eventually bring in the tying run two batters later off the bat of Emily Rockhill and the very next inning would bring in the eventual game winner with Susanne Boden coming across on a Natalie Ireland single into the right center field gap. 

Mellano finished the game 3-3 with a run scored and a run batted in.  Cundiff was 2-3 with a run scored and Ahern was 1-3 with a run scored and two RBI's. 

Blum got the start and lasted 5.0 innings picking up the no decision.  Rachel Alhanati (Lake Forest, Calif.) came in relief and despite giving up just one earned run she picked up the loss dropping 5-5 on the season.     

Game 2 (Pomona-Pitzer – 4, Whittier – 1)

The Poet bats went cold in game two being held to just two hits against Bianca Cockrell who threw a complete game giving up one run and striking out four.

Alhanati picked up her sixth loss on the season going 2.0 innings giving up two runs on five hits. 

The Sagehens got two across in the second with a sacrifice fly from Natalie Ireland and a single to the shortstop from Quinn Sheehy and picked up another two in the fifth coming on two outs and two errors.

Whittier's Mellano broke up the no hitter in the sixth with a single to left and the Poets would finally get on the scoreboard the very next inning with a Blum double down the left field line that brought in Ahern but it wouldn't be enough as PP would hold on for the sweep.  

Whittier looks to get back to their winning ways this Friday, April 3 as they have a SCIAC showdown on the road against Claremont-M-S with game times set for 2:00pm and 4:00pm.