Softball sweeps twinbill with pair of one-run wins
ORANGE, Calif. – In a series of all one-run games, the Chapman University softball team came away with a doubleheader sweep to pad their lead in the SCIAC standings. The Panthers won 2-1 and 3-2 to take the series win over visiting Pomona-Pitzer, who entered the day tied with the Panthers atop the standings.
Pitching dominated the entire series as each team used three pitchers with all six pitchers combining to allow just four earned runs in the three games. Chapman's pitchers did not allow an earned run in the series.
Game 1 – W, 2-1
Ilianna Serna's two-run blast was the difference in the pitcher's duel as the Panthers evened the series with a 2-1 victory. Simi Lauwers tossed a six-hit complete game for Chapman and Kailey Newkirk allowed just two runs on five hits for Pomona-Pitzer. Both struck out five and neither issued a walk although Lauwers hit two batter and Newkirk hit one.
Serna went 3-for-5 in the game with a pair of hard hit singles and a homer. The Panthers managed just five hits off Newkirk – four of which came in the first three innings.
In the third, Katie Carder bunted her way on to first ahead of Serna. Serna then turned a pitch, driving it over the fence in left for a two-run homer and a 2-0 Chapman lead.
The Sagehens threatened in the fourth with runners on the corners and two outs but Carder tracked down a line in the left center gap to end the threat. Newkirk retired the next eight Chapman hitters after Serna's home run until she faced Serna a third time and gave up the Panthers final hit – a line drive into center.
A pair of bunt singles and a single into left loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth for Pomona-Pitzer but Lauwers struck out the next batter to end the threat.\
The Sagehens got on the board in the sixth after Adalee Wasikonis led off with double and later scored on a Panther error but that was all they could manage.
In the seventh, the tying run reached second base with two outs but a soft liner to short ended it to even the series at a game apiece.
Game 2 – W, 3-2
The pitching was again excellent and this time it was Summer Lake with the clutch hit as she drove in two runs with a double down the left field to score a pair of runs in the third. Serna plated a run in the first with an RBI-groundout,.
Jillian Kelly took the ball in the circle and picked up her sixth win. She struck out six over 6.1 innings without allowing a walk and scattering nine hits. Emma Holt limited Chapman to five hits and struck out eight. Rose Malen finished off the game for Chapman, recording the last two outs for her first career save.
After Chapman built its 3-0 lead in the first three innings, Holt held the Panthers at bay while her offense looked to give her some support. Pomona-Pitzer finally broke through in the fifth when a couple of errors helped two runs come home to make it a one-run game.
The fifth began with two singles and two errors but Kelly retired the next three batters with the tying run on third to keep the Panthers in front. A heads up play from Chapman in the sixth turned a sacrifice bunt into a double play as the runner was caught trying to go from first to third after a leadoff single.
Of course the seventh inning had to bring more drama in a series that included a 14-inning marathon and three one-run games. After a leadoff single for the Sagehens, Serna fielded a sacrifice bunt and attempt and fired a strike to second base to retire the lead runner. Amanda Robman followed with a single to put two on with one out.
The Panthers' went to the bullpen and called on Malen to close it out after an excellent 14-inning outing on Friday. A single loaded the bases for Pomona-Pitzer but the next pitch was a pop up to second for the second out. She then froze Emily Hurtado with a pitch on the inside corner to end the game and capture the series win.
The series win gives Chapman a two-game lead over Pomona-Pitzer and CMS in the SCIAC standings and a 1.5 game lead over Redlands. Chapman and CMS face off in a three-game series next weekend, beginning at CMS on Friday before shifting back to Chapman on Saturday for a noon doubleheader.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director