Panthers get well against La Sierra, halt 12-game slide

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University softball team snapped its 12-game losing streak with a pair of lopsided victories over visiting La Sierra University on Sunday afternoon at El Camino Real Park. The Panthers scored 21 runs on 19 hits in the doubleheader sweep, defeating the Eagles 9-1 in the first game and then scoring a season-high 12 runs in a 12-0 win in Game 2. Chapman improved to 8-8 at El Camino this season, while La Sierra remains winless in 2011.

Game 1: Chapman 9, La Sierra 1
A bases-loaded RBI single by sophomore OF Kerry Peterson gave the Panthers the walk-off win in a run-rule shortened five-inning game.

Chapman (9-25) exploded for six runs in the first inning thanks, in part, to two-run singles by sophomore RHP Katie Terry and senior IF Laura Alexander. In fact, the Panthers sent seven batters to the plate before La Sierra (0-23) recorded its first out of the game.

An RBI single by freshman RHP Nikole Weber gave the Panthers a 7-1 lead in the second, which they would maintain until the bottom of the fifth when Chapman rallied for two more, including the walk-off by Peterson. Sophomore IF Brittany Furlong went 2-for-2 with two RBI and a stolen base for the Panthers.

Weber (1-1) pitched four innings in relief to pick up her first collegiate win, scattering five hits.

Game 2: Chapman 12, La Sierra 0
Not only did Chapman set a season-high with 12 runs, but six of the Panthers' 10 hits were for extra-bases, including four triples.

Once again, a big first inning by the Panthers set the tone for their second run-rule win of the day as Chapman scored four times in the inning. Terry got things started by doubling in a pair of runs, followed later by a two-run triple by sophomore IF Kyla Javier.

After Peterson singled in a run with two outs in the third inning to give Chapman a 5-0 lead, Alexander tripled her home for the Panthers' sixth run. And then in the fourth, junior IF Courtney James tripled in a pair of runs as did junior OF Jessica Mitchell to give Chapman a cushy 12-0 advantage. James was 2-for-2 with three runs scored.

The run support was plenty for senior RHP Kristen Oechsel (1-0) who tossed a six-hit shutout – the Panthers' second of the season – and struck out three batters over five innings.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscores
Game 1: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2010-11/boxscores/20110410_jg6u.xml
Game 2: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2010-11/boxscores/20110410_o7t6.xml