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DEMOREST, Ga. — Jan. 15, 2023) After the Regals were walked off in a tight game one against Mount St. Joseph, Cal Lutheran softball avenged its prior loss to Piedmont with a win over the Lions in game two of a doubleheader on Sunday.
GAME ONE: Regals 2, Lions (Mount St. Joseph) 3
The Regals trailed for five innings until they strung together four hits in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 2-2 late.
Down 2-0,
Olivia Vargas hit a one-out single to start the rally. Pinch runner
Mia Cortez stole second and
Casey Edwards drove her in with a two-out RBI single to push across the Regals' first run.
Regan Laubscher kept the inning alive with a single, advancing
Jasmine Delgado, who came in to pinch run for Edwards, to second. Riding the momentum,
Hanna Booth knocked in Delgado with the fourth single of the inning, but Laubscher was thrown out at home plate trying to score from first base.
The game remained knotted up at 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Lions (2-1) worked a runner around the bases and eventually walked off the Regals, scoring on a wild pitch.
Starting pitcher
Brooke DeSmet kept the game within reach for the Regals. She went 4.0 innings, allowed two earned runs on six hits, one walk, and struck out one in the no-decision.
Ava Tepesano (0-1) took the loss in relief, going 2.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits and a walk.
GAME TWO: Regals 9, Lions (Piedmont) 7
With the game tied 2-2 going into the top of the fifth inning, the Regals claimed their first lead of the game by scoring two runs off of a critical Lions error to make it 4-2. Three Regals worked walks to load the bases with one out and Edwards put one in play that forced the Lions shortstop to make an error; Cortez and DeSmet both scored on the play.
The Lions got one in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-3, but the Regals answered with an offensive explosion, scoring five runs in the sixth to quickly get back a 9-3 lead.
Ashlyn Flinchum (2-0) went 5.2 IP, allowed nine hits, four walks, six earned runs, and struck out three in her win. Tepesano picked up a save after coming in during the bottom of the sixth with two outs and striking out the batter. She closed out the bottom of the seventh with the tying run on second base with a strikeout to end it.
UP NEXT
The Regals wrap up their trip to Georgia with a doubleheader tomorrow against Emory (0-0) in Atlanta. Game one is at 8 a.m. PST and game two will start at 10 a.m. PST.
