WHITTIER, Calif. (Apr. 12, 2024) – Senior outfielder
Lindsey Perry (Corona, Calif. / Santiago) of the Whittier College softball team showed once again she can deliver plenty of power into left field against California Lutheran University on Friday afternoon. Behind a two-run home run from their talented senior, the Poets defeated the Regals, 4-3, to earn their third SCIAC win of the season.
Perry's blast came in the third inning to break a scoreless tie between the two teams. With two outs against them, the Poets worked their way back to the top of the order, with senior first baseman
Emily Adkison (Laguna Niguel, Calif. / Mater Dei) getting on base with a hard-hit single into left field. Perry followed her classmate with a mammoth two-run shot over the left field fence to give Whittier an early 2-0 lead. However, she would be far from the only Poet to make an impact on Friday.
Juniors
Kiley Kraft (Alhambra, Calif. / Ramona Convent Secondary School | Pasadena City College) and
Daryanna Ductoc (Alhambra, Calif. / Ramona Convent Secondary School Los Angeles Mission), two high school teammates, combined on the mound to hold the Regals to just three runs. Kraft got the starting nod, and pitched three and two-thirds innings before giving way to Ductoc, who made her first home appearance on the mound this month. The junior transfer proceeded to hold the Regals to just one hit over the remaining three and one-third innings, and finished the game with three quick outs. The performance earned the junior her second win of the season, and meanwhile, the Poets capitalized on their strong pitching and defense by getting each of the Regals' seven lead-off hitters out.
The rest of Whittier's offense came later in the third inning. After Perry cleared the bases with her home run, infield singles from
Maya Palos (Monterey Park, Calif. / Schurr) and
Heaven Wolf (Montebello, Calif. / Schurr Rio Hondo College) sandwiched a walk from junior
Kelly Nutter (Carlsbad, Calif. / La Costa Canyon | Cal State San Marcos | Palomar College) to load the bases for speedy outfielder
Sara Luna (Downey, Calif. / Downey). The junior put the ball in play with a tricky ball hit up the middle, and the Poets capitalized on the Regals being a step too slow defensively to score a pair of runs to double their lead. The base knock would not be Luna's only hit of the game. She also reached base on a single into right field, then swiped second and third base in succession to make it a perfect 13-for-13 on stolen base attempts this year.
Bar for a minor first-inning hiccup that did not result in any runs, the Poets played nearly flawless defense behind Kraft and Ductoc, who successfully steered the Purple & Gold to safety en route to the team's first SCIAC win in the month of April.
Head Coach
Trisha Senyo and the Poets will look to finish the series with the Regals strongly when they travel to Thousand Oaks for a doubleheader on Sunday, Apr. 14.
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