Panthers eliminated with two losses at SCIAC softball tournament
REDLANDS – The Chapman University softball team was eliminated from the SCIAC Postseason Tournament on Friday with a pair of losses at the Field of Dreams at the University of Redlands on Friday. The No. 3-seeded Panthers were shutout by No. 2 seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges 6-0 in the opener and then eliminated by No. 4 seed Whittier College 6-4.
Game 1: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 6, Chapman 0
Claremont junior RHP Hayley Schultz and freshman RHP Kaylilani Minami combined to shut out Chapman on five hits while striking out six Panthers. Chapman got just one runner to third base which happened in the second inning, trailing 2-0 as sophomore C Lisa Perez singled and freshman IF Amber Perez doubled with no outs. However, Schultz struck out the next two batters and induced a pop up to end Chapman's best threat of the game. Lisa Perez went 2-for-3 to lead the Panthers.
Meanwhile, the Athenas got to Chapman sophomore RHP Natalie Both early and often, scoring two runs in the first and single runs in the second and fourth innings to build an early 4-0 lead. Claremont (26-12) added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth as Both surrendered eight hits and four walks in six innings to drop to 10-11 this season. She had six strikeouts to finish the season with 173.
Claremont went on to defeat top-seeded Redlands 5-4 in the winner's bracket game and is just one win away from its third-straight automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140502_wj0s.xml
Game 2: Whittier 6, Chapman 4
Chapman (24-18) again fell behind early and couldn't recover, despite rallying in the fifth and seventh innings to make things interesting. Whittier (27-15), who took three of four from the Panthers during the regular season, struck for four runs in the first inning off Panthers' junior RHP Cassie Oregel. The inning included a leadoff homer by Poets' IF Alexandra Flores and then three consecutive hits with two outs to plate three more runs.
Chapman rallied for a pair of runs in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit to cut the Whittier lead to 4-2. The Panthers capitalized on three walks, a hit batter, a wild pitch and an error to score two unearned runs. But the Poets responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run double from Jordan Learn to regain their four-run advantage.
Again in the seventh, Chapman would not go quietly, bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs before a flyout ended the game. Sophomore IF Larissa Rinauro singled and scored on a double by junior IF Taylor Cartwright. Then Amber Perez followed with a two-out RBI single to make it 6-4, but that was as close as the Panthers would get. Amber Perez collected two of Chapman's five hits.
Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2013-14/boxscores/20140502_icru.xml
Chapman is left on the outside looking in at the playoff scene, with its fate to be determined by the NCAA selection committee. The Panthers are currently unranked in the West Region. Division III playoff selections will be announced on Monday with Chapman needing a Pool 'C' at-large bid to get in.
by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director
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