Chapman lives, dies by home run in split with Whittier

ORANGE, Calif. -  A grand slam by junior IF Erin DeRycke propelled the Chapman University softball team to an 8-5 win over host Whittier College in the first game of a double header. However, a walk-off home run by Whittier's Vicky Ovieda in the bottom of the seventh gave the Poets a 2-1 win in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon at Palmer Field.

Game 1: Chapman 8, Whittier 5
Trailing 5-2 in the sixth, the Panthers rallied for five runs in the top of the inning - four coming on a grand slam by DeRycke - to give Chapman the lead for good. It was DeRycke's second home run of the game as she drove in five runs. Junior RHP Vanessa Goncalves allowed just one hit and one unearned run over the final three innings to pick up her first victory of the season. The right-hander struck out five batters in 5 1/3 innings of relief.

Chapman (5-9) collected a season-high 11 hits, including doubles from senior OF Erin Dudzinski and freshman C Michelle Pitts. Dudzinski finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI. Junior IF SheaLynn Slover was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Game 2: Whittier 2, Chapman 1
Ovieda snapped a 1-1 tie with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning with a solo home run to give Whittier (9-7) the double header split. Chapman's junior RHP Ally Waffle was the tough-luck losing pitcher, having allowed the home run. The junior fell to 0-5 as the Panthers have scored just seven runs in Waffle's five starts this season.

Chapman took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by junior IF Dani Brown. The Panthers were limited to just one hit from the fourth inning on.

The Poets tied the game in the bottom of the inning thanks to another RBI single by Ovieda. However, Waffle and the Chapman defense worked their way out of trouble several times thanks to a double play in the fifth and diving stop by junior IF Melanie Villarroel in the sixth which killed Whittier rallies.