Walkoff homer gives Panthers winning trip in Tucson
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Olaf | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Chapman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gust. Adolphus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Chapman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| Final (10) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (IA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Chapman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Gust. Adolphus
Central (IA)
TUCSON, Ariz. – A two-strike, two-out, two-run home run by junior IF Taylor Cartwright in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Chapman University softball team a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over St. Olaf College on Sunday afternoon at the Tucson Invitational Games. The win gave the Panthers a winning trip, going 4-2 in the six weekend games.
It also made a winner out of sophomore RHP Natalie Both (6-8), who otherwise would have seen a seven-inning, two-hit masterpiece go down the drain after striking out 13 and allowing just one unearned run.
Some highlights from Chapman's successful weekend at the Tucson Invitational:
- With a 5-2 win over Wisc.-Eau Claire on Friday, the Panthers extended their win streak to nine games – the longest since 2006. But the streak was cut short with a 10-inning 5-4 loss to No. 4-ranked Central College (Iowa) that same day.
- Before their two-out rally against St. Olaf on Sunday, the Panthers unveiled more seventh-inning magic against Central. Trailing 3-0 with two outs in the seventh, junior RHP Cassie Oregel hit a two-run double and then scored on another double by junior IF Mindy Gibson to tie the game. Chapman trailed again 4-3 in the ninth, but sophomore C Lisa Perez executed a suicide squeeze to send it to the 10th inning where the Panthers' magic ran out (for the time being).
- Chapman has not had good fortune in extra innings this year, going 2-5 in seven prolonged affairs. But in one-run games, the Panthers luck has improved. Chapman had won just one of its first five games decided by one run this season, but since has won five of the last six, including three one-run wins in a row in Tucson.
- Perez batted .588 (10-for-18) with five extra-base hits and eight RBI in the six games, including a 4-for-4 performance vs. George Fox (Ore.) on Saturday in which she hit a pair of two-run homers in the Panthers' 11-5 loss. She began the trip with a two-run triple in the first inning against Eau Claire as part of a three-run rally.
- Oregel (10-4) went 3-0 in the circle, collecting 24 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings pitched. The right-hander posted a 1.62 earned run average in her three starts, plus one relief appearance, and had nine strikeouts each in complete game wins over Eau Claire and Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.).
Chapman (16-12) is enjoying some rest during Spring Break this week and will return for the final stretch of 12 games – all within the SCIAC – beginning on April 4 with a doubleheader at Pomona-Pitzer at 2 p.m. The Panthers will then host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for a pair of games on Saturday, April 5 starting at noon. Chapman is currently 9-7 in conference play and sitting in fifth place, one game back of fourth-place Whittier in the standings.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
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