Long day at work: softball earns split with Pacific
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University softball team earned a split with Pacific University on Sunday afternoon at El Camino Real Park as they lost 8-7 in a 3 ½ hour, nine inning game to start the day, and then rebounded with an 8-4 win in the second matchup which lasted nearly 2 ½ hours. With the win, head coach Janet Lloyd is now one win away from 500 for career, all of which have come at Chapman.
Game 1: Pacific 8, Chapman 7
Missed opportunities in the morning game proved costly for Chapman (3-2) as the team had 13 hits but left 15 players on base and were unable to score in two innings with the bases loaded. With the score tied 4-4, Pacific scored four runs in the ninth inning off of Chapman reliever Rhianna Stepler-Camp to take the lead for good. Senior C Jordan Mittelsdorf came up with the clutch hit for a Pacific, a three-run double down the left field line to give her team a 7-4 lead. Freshman Chloe Hanson had what proved to be the game-winning RBI for Pacific in the inning with a single to score Mittelsdorf.
The Panthers made the game interesting as they came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. After the first three batters of the inning reached, junior OF Kerry Peterson came through with a two-run single to right which narrowed Pacific's lead to 8-6. Senior C Michelle Pitts followed with a sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 8-7, but on the play Peterson was doubled off at first base which essentially ended the rally.
Game 2: Chapman 8, Pacific 4
Freshman OF Karina Muniz continued her excellent start to the season as she came up with the game-winning hit for Chapman in the second game. Muniz finished 4-for-8 in the doubleheader with three RBI and is hitting .500 (8-for-16) in the team's first five games. With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth, Muniz hit a line-drive, two-run double to left field. Chapman then added two more runs to take an 8-4 lead as both freshmen IF Lindsay Holt and senior IF Courtney James had bases loaded walks.
Pacific (2-4) threatened in the top of the sixth inning as runners reached on back-to-back Chapman errors, but freshman P Kimmi Takahashi shut down the rally for her first-career win. The length of both games forced Pacific to end the second game after 5.1 innings to ensure catching its flight home to Oregon out of Long Beach. Takahashi pitched 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit. Junior IF Stephanie Engle had a team-high three RBI for Chapman in the game, all of which came in the early innings and has eight in the team's first six games.
by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant
Boxscores
Game 1: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2011-12/boxscores/20120212_vocb.xml
Game 2: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2011-12/boxscores/20120212_bg2h.xml
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