Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College softball team saw their five game winning streak in conference play come to a close Saturday as they split with the University of La Verne winning game one 5-2 but falling 10-9 in the nightcap.

Whittier moves to 9-4, 5-1 SCIAC and remains atop the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings, while La Verne drops to 9-9, 5-5 SCIAC.

Prior to the game, Director of Athletics Robert Coleman and Head Coach Dee Dee Kingsbury joined Owner of Sargent's Sporting Goods Dave McCoy and General Manager of the Holiday Inn La Mirada Richard Choi for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new softball scoreboard, which they so generously donated to.  Other donors included Richard H. Pickup '55, former baseball player for the Purple & Gold and generous supporter of Whittier since 1961, and Mark Shuster, CEO and Chairman of Shuster Financial, LLC, who both were unable to attend the ceremony. 

Game 1 (Whittier – 5, La Verne – 2)

Whittier slugged two homeruns for four runs in the first inning with a solo shot from Emi Shimamoto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and a three run blast from freshman Marialena Ahern (Fremont, Calif.) and that was all they needed as Samantha Blum (San Jose, Calif.) pitched lights out picking up her fifth win on the season going a complete game in the circle.

The Leopards had a chance to string together runs in the sixth but a great defensive play by Alyse Gutierrez (West Covina, Calif.) who gunned down Amanda Chavez trying to stretch extra bases stopped the momentum allowing Whittier to come away with the three run victory.

Shimamoto finished 2-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in.  Ahern was perfect going 3-3 with a run scored and three RBI's.    

Game 2 (La Verne – 10, Whittier – 9)

Whittier trailed 2-0 in the first three innings but put up a four spot in the bottom half of the third, capped off with an Ashlyn Canchola (La Verne, Calif.) double to right center that cleared the bases.

La Verne tied things up the very next inning with a two run blast from Rebecca Ireland and that would be it for starter Rachel Alhanati (Lake Forest, Calif.) who left with the no decision after throwing 5.2 innings giving up three earned runs on 10 hits, while striking out five.

The Poets added another four runs in the fourth and fifth to take an 8-5 lead thanks to a Shimamoto double down the left field line, a Mercedez Cundiff (Rowland, Calif.) walk, and a solo shot from Ahern, but it would be short-lived as the Leopards exploded for four runs in the sixth to go ahead, 9-8.  Rebecca Ireland reached on an error by the shortstop and Raeleen Tellez singled up the middle to set the table for the top of the order. Victoria Baltazar and Danielle Vela promptly followed with singles to cash in the runners and Alexis Schiff launched a double to deep right center. 

Tellez singled in Amanda Chavez in the seventh to give the Leopards an insurance run, which proved crucial. Then with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, Alexandra Flores (Santa Fe Spring, Calif.) smacked a double to left center that pulled the Poets within 10-9. But Hayley Jaquess, who came on in relief in the fifth inning, got Shimamoto to ground out to preserve the win for La Verne.

Blum (5-2) gave up five runs in 1.1 innings of relief and was tagged with the loss for the Poets.

Jaquess (2-2) picked up the win for La Verne, allowing one earned run while striking out three in three innings.

Flores finished 2-for-4 with two RBI's and two runs for Whittier.    

Whittier returns to action this Saturday, March 14 as they take on Occidental College on the road with game times set for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.