THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - In their final non-conference matchup of the season, the Cal Lutheran softball team earned its fourth straight win with a doubleheader sweep over Hamline (Minn.) at Hutton Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Regals took game one 11-0 in five innings via mercy rule and won game two 4-2.
Courtney Sooy improved her record to 9-8 after pitching her third complete game shutout this season and only allowed four hits while striking out three.
At the plate, the Regals took an early lead with one run apiece in the second and third innings but blew the game wide open with a nine-run fourth inning. Makenna Pellerin, Liz Mertel and Jacy Watanabe started the inning with base hits and Antonia Rapisardi singled to center to drive in two.
After Sooy singled to load the bases up once again, Christina Hunter came through with an RBI single to left and Olivia Leyva singled up the middle to bring two more runs home. After batting around the order, Pellerin came up with her second base hit of the inning and later came around to score her second run of the inning, and the Regals final run of the game, to go up 11-0.
Sooy retired the side in order in the top of the fifth to end the game. Pellerin finished 3-for-3 with three runs and Sooy, Hunter, Leyva and Rapisardi added two hits in the game. Every Regal with at least two at bats came around to score at least one run.
In the second game of the day, the Regals jumped out to an early lead after scoring all of their runs in the first and second inning. Sooy and Hunter led off the game with base hits and Blake Lewis drove them both home with a double down the left field line. Jacy Watanabe came up with an RBI single later in the inning to score Lewis and CLU took a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Lewis came through with runners on base once more, as she singled through the right side to score Hunter who reached on a walk.
With a 4-0 lead, Shonna Christianson limited Hamline to just two runs and the Regals held on for a 4-2 win. The senior pitcher improved her record to 5-3 after going five strong innings scattering nine hits and picking up one strikeout.
Lewis finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the game and Hunter added two runs.
Cal Lutheran (14-11) will return to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action this Saturday, Mar. 21 when they hit the road to take on Whittier at 12:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 11, HU 0
Box Score: CLU 4, HU 2
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