Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Whittier College softball team snapped a four game losing skid Friday afternoon in an impressive sweep over No. 18 Claremont-M-S 7-0 and 5-3 to move their lead in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings to three games.
The last time the Poets took games from the Athena's was back in 2013 where they split in both doubleheaders winning 6-3 on February 16 and then 4-3 on March 30 and the last time the Poets actually swept CMS was in 2011 when the Poets won at home 6-5 and 4-2 on March 19.
Game 1 (Whittier – 7, CMS – 0)
Whittier (17-9, 11-3 SCIAC) struck for a run in the first with Ashlyn Canchola (La Verne, Calif.) singling to right that brought in Alexandra Flores (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.). They added another three in the third off the bat of freshman shortstop Marialena Ahern (Fremont, Calif.) who hit a three run jack down the right field line that moved the score to 4-0.
Following three scoreless innings, the Purple & Gold would add insurance with three in the seventh. Canchola led things off with a single on the infield and then made it into second safely with a stolen base. Ahern followed with a double to center and then advanced to third on a passed ball.
Alyse Gutierrez (West Covina, Calif.) then put runners on the corners after being hit by a pitch and then moved up to second with a stolen base. Freshman Kellen Hitzel (Corona, Calif.) walked to load the bases and was followed by a Flores groundout that plated one and an Emi Shimamoto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) single up the middle that brought in another.
Whittier only needed one run to secure the victory as Samantha Blum (San Jose, Calif.) pitched lights out going a complete game giving up just one hit, while striking out a career high 10 improving to 11-3 on the season.
Shimamoto finished 4-5 on the day with an RBI. Ahern was 2-3 with two runs scored and four runs batted in and Flores was 3-5 with a run scored and a run batted in.
Game 2 (Whittier – 5, CMS – 3)
The Poets continued where they left off in game two. After three scoreless innings the Poets struck for two in the fourth. Mercedez Cundiff (Rowland, Calif.) led off the inning with a double to right center and moved to third on a passed ball. Canchola plated her with a sacrifice fly to left before Ahern made it around to third with a triple to center before being brought in by a Blum groundout to the second baseman.
CMS came back though in the bottom half of the inning getting three thanks to singles by Carly Roleder and Chloe Rodman but those would be the final runs added by the Athena's in the nightcap as Blum came in relief of Rachel Alhanati (Lake Forest, Calif.) over the final 3.2 innings scattering three hits and striking out five en route to picking up her 12th win on the season.
In the sixth the Poets reclaimed the lead with two with Lauren Gandi (Costa Mesa, Calif.) scoring on a wild pitch (pinch ran for Canchola who walked) and Gutierrez scoring Ahern with a single to right. They would add an insurance run in the seventh with Cundiff singling to the pitcher that brought in Shimamoto and that would be enough for the Poets to hold on for the two run victory.
Cundiff finished 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI and Ahern was 2-2 with two runs scored.
Whittier returns to the diamond today, Saturday, April 4 as they take on Chapman University on the road in a doubleheader with game times slated for 12:00pm and 2:00pm.
