Scoreless softball squashes Panthers' title hopes
ORANGE, Calif. – In a doubleheader featuring two of the top-25 softball teams in the nation, visiting University of Redlands dashed Chapman University's hopes of its first SCIAC championship, sweeping a pair of games 4-0 and 3-0 in 10 innings on Saturday afternoon at El Camino Real Park. The losses drop the No. 21 ranked Panthers into third place and officially out of contention for the regular season conference crown.
Game 1: Redlands 4, Chapman 0
The Panthers didn't help themselves much in the first game as they suffered four errors in a shutout loss to the No. 7-ranked Bulldogs. The errors led to three unearned runs in the first three innings and Redlands' senior RHP Kayla Uphold held the lead, tossing a five-hit shutout while striking out two.
The Bulldogs scored in the first when junior OF Sarah Beeman drove in sophomore OF Janelle Carrasco on a single to right field. Redlands padded the lead to 3-0 in the top of the third when the Panthers committed three errors on one play that allowed two runs to score. Beeman came up big for Redlands again in the sixth, starting the inning with a triple and scoring on a ground out.
Chapman left eight runners on base including stranding a pair of runners on third. The closest the Panthers came to scoring was in the bottom of the fifth inning, when senior OF Jojo Wakabayashi was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Uphold quickly responded, inducing a comebacker to prevent the Panthers' rally.
The Panthers received a strong performance on the mound from sophomore RHP Cassie Oregel (11-4) who tossed a complete game six-hitter and allowed just one earned run.
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2012-13/boxscores/20130413_tu6y.xml
Game 2: Redlands 3, Chapman 0 (10 innings)
Uphold was called upon again by Redlands to face Chapman's freshman RHP Natalie Both and the two dueled scoreless for the first nine innings. With the international tiebreak rule in effect in the 10th inning, the Bulldogs struck for three runs – all with two outs – thanks in part to a two-run single by freshman IF Vicky King.
Chapman (24-10 overall, 17-7 SCIAC) rallied to get runners on first and third in the bottom of the inning to snap Uphold's string of 12 consecutive batters retired, but failed to push across a run. The Panthers out-hit Redlands 8-7 in the game, but could not string more than two together in one inning. Senior OF Kerry Peterson finished the game 2-for-4.
Not only did Redlands (21-7 overall, 21-5 SCIAC) extend its winning streak to 16 games, but the Bulldogs' pitching has not allowed a run in 29 innings – a span of four consecutive shutouts.
Both (11-5) was the tough-luck loser allowing seven hits over 10 innings while striking out four. Uphold, who earned both wins on Saturday with 16 shutout innings, improved to 21-5 this season.
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2012-13/boxscores/20130413_xoo0.xml
by Bogart Avila & Doug Aiken
Sports Information Intern & Sports Information Director
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