Strikeouts galore in Panthers' season-opening split with Whitworth

ORANGE, Calif. – The new look Chapman University softball showcased its stellar pitching duo on Thursday, earning a split in the season-opening doubleheader against the Whitworth Pirates at El Camino Real Park. After sophomore Natalie Both fanned 14 batters in game one, starting pitcher Cassie Oregel struck out 12 batters and came within three outs of a perfect game in the nightcap to salvage the split with a 5-0 win.

Game 1: Whitworth 3, Chapman 0

The first game of the double header featured a pitchers' duel between Both and the Pirate's Madi Perez.  Despite striking out a career high 14 batters and allowing only one earned run on five hits, Both received her first loss of the season.

The two teams played scoreless ball into the fifth inning when back-to-back singles from Shannon Wessel and Kelsey Stroshine were followed by a Panther error that gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead.

The Panthers had an opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth after junior 1B Lindsay Holt laced a two-out triple to left-center field. LF Amy Serven was robbed of an opportunity to capitalize when Stroshine made a diving play at third base to take the equalizing RBI-opportunity away.

The Pirates added two more runs in the top of the seventh as a result of another error by the Chapman infield. The game was put on ice by Pirates closer Megan Fisher, who recorded a two-inning save allowing only one hit.

Box score: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140130_id24.xml

Game 2: Chapman 5, Whitworth 0

Oregel kept the Pirate bats silent all night, recording 12 strike outs before allowing a seventh inning, infield-single to Pirate LF Makenzie Hope that eliminated the chance of a perfect game. Hope hit a soft ground ball to Chapman 3B Mandy Gibson who charged the ball and threw quickly to first, but narrowly missed recording the out.  After Hope was caught stealing by C Kelsea Eakin, Oregel struck out the final two Pirate batters to record her second career one-hit game.

The Panthers' bats woke up in a big way in game two, sparked by leadoff hitter Larissa Rinauro, who went 3-for-3 on the evening. Rinauro sparked a third inning rally with her second base hit of the night, followed by a single from Serven that set the stage for a Taylor Cartwright RBI-triple that scored both runners.  The three-run two-out rally was capped off by another triple, this one from C Lisa Perez that scored Cartwright.

The Panthers tacked on two more runs on a RBI-single by Rinauro in the fourth and a Holt run scored on a Whitworth error in the sixth.

Box score: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140130_yebv.xml

The Panthers will have more than two weeks to prepare for their next matchup as they enter conference play with a doubleheader against Whittier on Feb. 15. First pitch in the SCIAC-opener is scheduled for 12 p.m.

by Mike Schwartz
Sports Information Intern

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