Softball drops home-opener to CMS

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University softball team fell 6-0 to visiting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in its home- and SCIAC-opener on Friday. The Panthers and Athenas opened a three-game SCIAC series that moves to Claremont, Calif. tomorrow.

The Athenas (1-0) took advantage of five Chapman errors in the contest to score four unearned runs. Senior Samantha Tong led the Panthers at the plate with a pair of hits, including a double.

The first play of the game resulted in CMS' Molly Spaniac reaching on an error. A triple and a single followed as the Athenas led 2-0 before the first out was recorded.

Senior Sarah Hartmann settled in to limit the damage in the first and hang up zeroes in each of the next three innings to keep the Panthers in the ballgame. While the defense struggled at times, sophomore Tracie Okumura provided a highlight in the third. With runners on the corners and not outs, she scooped up a sharply hit grounder at third, tagged the baserunner next to her and fired across the diamond for a double play.

The Panthers biggest threat came in the fifth when singles by Tong and senior Kyra Gallego put runners on first and second with one out. However, CMS pitcher Lauren Richards wiggled out of the only jam she faced to keep the Panthers scoreless.

The Athenas added a run in the fifth when a ball was bobbled in the gap and three more in the sixth. Senior Sarah Hartmann suffered her second loss of the season but struck out three in five innings while giving up two earned runs on eight hits. Sophomore Kelly McCarty finished off the game and struck out a pair of batters in the seventh while surrendering just one hit in two innings of relief.

The Panthers and Athenas meet again in Claremont for a doubleheader to conclude the three-game, conference series. Chapman is back at home on Sunday to take on Whitworth in a doubleheader at noon.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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