REDLANDS, Calif. (May 9, 2026) – Facing elimination twice in the same day, the Whittier College softball team battled its way into the SCIAC Tournament Championship with a pair of victories over University of La Verne and Chapman University Saturday at The Field of Dreams.
Game 1: Whittier 9, La Verne 7 (8 innings)
With their backs against the wall in an elimination game, the Poets rallied past La Verne in extra innings to secure the program's first postseason win since 2019 and advance deeper into the SCIAC Tournament.
Whittier struck first in the opening inning as sophomore Mariah Rodriguez (Barstow, Calif. / Barstow) ripped an RBI double to right center before graduate student Kelly Nutter (Carlsbad, Calif. / La Costa Canyon / Cal State San Marcos) added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
La Verne answered with three runs across the second and third innings, but the Poets regained control in the fourth behind a clutch swing from junior Daniella Contreras (Buena Park, Calif. / John F. Kennedy). The outfielder drove a two-run triple into right center, bringing home both Gaby Hernandez (Chino, Calif. / Chino) and Lana Escarcega (San Jose, Calif. / Valley Christian) to give Whittier a 4-3 advantage.
Nutter continued her standout tournament performance in the fifth inning, crushing her second home run of the postseason to extend the lead to 5-3.
The Leopards responded with a three-run sixth inning to reclaim the lead, but Whittier answered once again with its season hanging in the balance. Trailing 6-5 entering the seventh, freshman utility player Leah Vasquez (Simi Valley, Calif. / Simi Valley) entered as a pinch runner before the Poets mounted a two-out rally. Hernandez tied the game with an RBI single to right center, and moments later Laila Pulachet (Norwalk, Calif. / Bravo / Hawaii Pacific University) delivered an infield RBI single to push Whittier back in front at 7-6.
La Verne answered in the bottom of the inning to force extras, setting the stage for the defining moment of Vasquez's young career.
After singles from Mia Gonzales (Pico Rivera, Calif. / Schurr) and Nutter put two aboard in the eighth inning, Vasquez stepped into just the fourth plate appearance of her career and delivered a two-run double into right center, bringing home both Tiaira Richardson (Vista, Calif. / Rancho Buena Vista) and Nutter for the eventual game-winning runs.
The freshman's clutch swing marked the first extra-base hit and first RBIs of her collegiate career.
Escarcega paced the offense with her second four-hit performance of the season, while Contreras finished with a triple and two RBIs. Nutter added two hits, including her home run, while Rodriguez extended her historic season with another double.
Senior lefty Bella Peinado (Ventura, Calif. / Ventura) delivered one of her grittiest outings of the season in the circle, tossing more than seven innings for the first time since her sophomore campaign before returning later in the day for another postseason start.
Game 2: Whittier 9, Chapman 1 (6 innings)
The Poets carried their momentum straight into the semifinal elimination matchup against Chapman, rolling to a six-inning mercy-rule victory to punch their ticket to the SCIAC Tournament Championship.
Whittier wasted no time striking first as Nutter blasted a three-run home run down the left field line in the opening inning, scoring Rodriguez and Gonzales to put the Poets ahead 3-0.
Chapman trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the third inning, but the Poets immediately answered with a five-run frame to break the game open.
Freshman Addison Sorto (Los Gatos, Calif. / Los Gatos) ignited the inning with an RBI double to right field before Hernandez followed with an RBI single that also plated another run on a Chapman throwing error. Pulachet added an RBI double to right center, and Rodriguez capped the inning with an RBI single to center to stretch the advantage to 8-1.
Rodriguez later delivered the finishing touch in the sixth inning, hammering the first triple of her collegiate career down the left field line to score Contreras and complete the 9-1 victory.
Nutter's first-inning blast gave the graduate student a home run in both games Saturday, while Rodriguez finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Pulachet and Gonzales each collected multi-hit performances as the Poets piled up 13 hits against the Panthers.
Peinado once again delivered under pressure in the circle, tossing her 12th complete game of the season while allowing just one unearned run across six innings. It marked the third complete game this year in which the senior surrendered no earned runs.
Head Coach Terry Schweikert and Whittier College will now rematch the No. 4 nationally ranked and No. 1 seeded University of Redlands Bulldogs in the SCIAC Tournament Championship on Sunday, May 10, starting at 12 p.m.
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