No. 18 Claremont takes two from Chapman

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University softball team dropped a pair of games to No. 18 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Friday afternoon at El Camino Real Park, leaving head coach Janet Lloyd one win shy of 500 for her career. Claremont ran away with the first game 9-0 but had to come from behind in the second as they squeaked out a 2-1 win over Chapman.

Game 1: Claremont 9, Chapman 0
Despite matching Claremont (5-1) hit-for-hit in the first game as each team totaled eight, Chapman could not muster any offense against senior P Rebecca Gularte who went five innings. The game got out of hand quickly as Claremont capitalized on an error by sophomore IF Raquel Rinauro with one out to put seven runs on the board in the first inning. All of the runs in the inning came after two outs and all but one were unearned.

Freshman OF Karina Muniz, junior IF Stephanie Engle and senior Michelle Pitts combined for six of the team's eight hits as each had two in the first game.

Game 2: Claremont 2, Chapman 1
Freshman utility Lindsay Holt hit her first-career homer, a solo shot to left field in the second inning to give Chapman (3-4) a 1-0 lead. Claremont answered back quickly with a run in the top of the third to even the score on an RBI single by junior IF Harmony Palmer. Palmer's single was one of just four hits that freshman P Cassie Oregel gave up in the game as she struck out nine batters with just one walk for her second complete game of the year.

Claremont jumped ahead in the fifth as pinch runner Kendall Kritzik came in to score the winning run on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the seventh, Chapman had an opportunity to rally but left a pair of runners in scoring position to end the game.

by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant

Boxscores
Game 1: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2011-12/boxscores/20120217_m8d8.xml
Game 2: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2011-12/boxscores/20120217_3avm.xml

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