Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LA VERNE, Calif. – The Whittier College Softball team came close to splitting with the top ranked Leopards of the University of La Verne as they fell 8-7 (8 Innings) and 11-1 in the doubleheader.
Game 1 (L, 8-7; 8 Innings)
It was a story of two complete opposite games as Whittier forced the Leos to extras in the first game, while holding the lead a majority of the time. The Purple & Gold jumped all over ULV starter Elisa Ponce with a two spot in the top half of the first coming off the bat of Kacey Whitney (Cypress, Calif.) who hit a two-run shot to dead center.
La Verne got one back in the bottom half of the frame before taking the lead in the 3rd with Alexis Schiff taking Samantha Blum (San Jose, Calif.) yard with a three-run homerun. But that lead wouldn't hold as Whittier rallied putting up five runs in the 5th that turned the momentum, while forcing Ponce out of the game.
Whittier capitalized on a throwing error by the catcher with a couple runs coming across and Whitney made them pay with her second blast of the game this time to right that made the score 7-3.
But the very next inning, the Leos stormed back putting up four runs on five hits capped off with a single from Schiff and a double from Katheryn Navarro that forced the game into extras.
The Poets got the lead-off batter aboard in Kaitlyn Garza (Chino, Calif.) who was hit by a pitch but the very next batter Rebecca Barber (El Monte, Calif.) would hit into the L14 DP that ended the threat. La Verne came up in the bottom half of the inning and with two outs would walk off as Schiff would hit a solo shot to center.
Whitney led the offense going 2-4 with two runs scored and three RBI's. Sierra Rodriguez (Whittier, Calif.) was 1-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in and Natalia Sanchez (Chino Hills, Calif.) was 1-2 with an RBI.
Annika Seedborg (Hawaiian Gardens, Calif.) was tagged with the loss who came in relief of Blum. She went 0.2 innings giving up the deadly solo shot. Blum went 7.0 innings surrendering seven runs on 13 hits along with eight strikeouts as she left with the no decision.
Game 2 (L, 11-1; 5 Innings)
The second game of the doubleheader lasted just five innings. Marialena Ahern (Fremont, Calif.) drove in Brianna Alvarez (Montebello, Calif.) with a double to left center that put WC on top early. But that would be the lone run scored as ULV would tie things up in the 2nd before bringing across nine runs in the 3rd that opened the game up. In the 4th they added insurance with another tally and that would be enough to secure the sweep.
Whittier was held to three hits all coming from three different players. Seedborg picked up the second loss lasting just 2.0 innings giving up six runs on four hits.
