Softball drops a pair to SUNY Cortland

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University softball team dropped a non-conference doubleheader to the visiting SUNY Cortland Red Dragons earlier this afternoon. Senior Samantha Whalen helped the Panthers in the batter's box and in the circle, tallying two hits while also striking out two batters in the second game.

Game 1 – SUNY Cortland 5, Chapman 4 – 8 innings

The Red Dragons struck early in game one to take a 1-0 lead after the top of the first. Chapman answered right back, taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning. With runners on second and third, Whalen singled up the middle to score one. Senior Elizabeth Runge stepped up to the plate next and reached on a fielder's choice but still tallied the RBI on the run scored.

Cortland added two more in the top of the second on a sac fly and a single to go up 3-2. The Panthers answered again, this time in the bottom of the third. Whalen reached on a fielder's choice but knocked in the runner for her second RBI of the game. With runners on second and third, freshman Jessica Kim reached on a fielder's choice as junior Sarah Sumida was tagged out at home. Whalen advanced to second, then made her way home to score another run on some heads-up base running to help re-take the lead at 4-3.

The Red Dragons tied the game up in the top of the fifth when freshman Ashley Finno singled through the left side to score the runner on third.

The pitchers dueled in the sixth and seventh, with neither allowing a run to send the game into extra innings. Cortland started the top of the eighth with a runner on second per the international tiebreaker rules. With two outs, the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch. A crucial error by the Panther's left fielder allowed the runner to score and give the Red Dragons their final 5-4 lead. Chapman also began with a runner on second in the bottom of the eighth, but a 1-2-3 inning from senior pitcher Sam Van Dorn ended the game for good.

Senior Christine LoVerde went 2-for-4 with two runs score in the effort and junior Michaela Foisy hit 1-for-4 with one run scored.

Game 2 – SUNY Cortland 9, Chapman 2

Once again, the Red Dragons jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first in game two. Chapman answered in the bottom of the second, taking a one-run lead after an error on Cortland's second baseman allowed two runs to score.

From then on, it was all Red Dragons action. They tacked on four more runs in the third, followed by a couple of runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to seal the victory.

Freshman Ayanna Sanchez struck out three in the losing effort. Whalen entered the circle to relieve in with two outs in the fourth, striking out two batters while allowing no earned runs. Foisy and Whalen were the only two Panthers that tallied hits in the second game.

The Panthers take nearly two weeks before heading back out to the diamond. Chapman returns to El Camino Real Park on Saturday, March 30 for a SCIAC doubleheader against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 12 p.m.

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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