THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Cal Lutheran softball team came up empty in a double header against La Verne, falling 21-2 and 11-1 at Hutton Field.
In the first game, the Leopards showed no mercy piling up 21 runs on 19 hits leading to a shortened five-inning game via the mercy rule.
La Verne jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after the first two innings, but the Regals would respond in the bottom half of the inning. Blake Lewis led off the inning with a base hit through the right side and Olivia Leyva traded places with her after grounding to second base for a fielder's choice. Liz Mertel followed with a sharp single that took a high bounce at third base to move Leyva into scoring position. Taylor Beacham was then hit by a pitch and a walk to Mikaela Mayhew with the bases loaded gave CLU their first run.
In the top of the third La Verne strung together three hits, including two RBI doubles, to jump out to an 8-1 lead.
CLU would get another run across in the bottom of the inning after another Mertel single scored Christina Hunter who led off the inning with a walk.
With an 8-2 lead in the top of the fourth, La Verne blew the game wide open with a ten run inning. After loading the bases, the Leopards hit back-to-back singles and capped the huge inning off with a three-run homerun. They added three more runs in the fifth inning to make the final score 21-2.
Mertel led the way for the Regals at the plate going 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI while B. Lewis added the only other hit in the game for CLU.
Courtney Sooy (1-4) got the start for the Violet and Gold but lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing 12 runs and five walks. Lewis made her first appearance in the circle this season in relief and went 1.2 innings while notching the only strikeout of the game for CLU.
In the second matchup of the day, the Regals got off to a quick start hoping to turn the table on La Verne.
Shonna Christianson recorded the first shutout inning of the day in the top of the first and helped herself out at the plate with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning. Amanda Lewis reached with a two-out single and B. Lewis followed with a single to left field to set up Christianson for an RBI single to centerfield.
In the top of the second inning the Leopards capitalized on a CLU miscue and tied the score at 1-1.
In the bottom of the second, the Regals looked poised to take a lead after they loaded the bases with just one out. Hunter came up to the plate and lined what looked like a base hit through the right side, but the ball hit Leyva on the basepaths while she was running to second base. With two outs and the bases still loaded, A. Lewis hit the ball hard but right at the second basemen to end the inning.
After coming so close to taking an early lead in the game, the Regals seemed to have the wind taken out of their sails and La Verne put together another big inning in the third. La Verne tacked on four more in the third and poured on six runs on nine hits in the sixth inning to go up 11-1.
CLU stroked nine hits in the game but accumulated three errors, which ultimately cost them three runs. Christianson (1-3) was charged with the loss after going all six innings and allowing eighteen hits and eight earned runs.
A. Lewis went 2-for-4 in game two and Ryanna Morua went 2-for-3 at the plate. B. Lewis was a combined 3-for-6 on the day and Makenna Pellerin added a pinch-hit single.
Leading the Leopards at the plate was Tori Baltazar who went 6-for-10 with six runs and four RBIs while Mackenzie Dutton went 5-for-7 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.
Cal Lutheran (2-7, 2-3 SCIAC) will continue their home stand at Hutton Field on Friday, Feb. 20 with a nonconference doubleheader against Linfield (Ore.) beginning at 12:00 p.m.
Box Score: LV 21, CLU 2 (5)
Box Score: LV 11, CLU 1 (6)
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