THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — After battling Whittier to an 8-6 extra-inning loss in game one of the doubleheader, Cal Lutheran softball bounced back with a dominant 6-1 victory in game two to salvage the split on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday's doubleheader, which concluded the two teams' three-game series, was previously scheduled for Saturday, April 13, but was postponed due to weather. The Poets (16-17, 7-11 SCIAC) won the first game of the series 4-3 on Friday, April 12.
The Regals (12-16, 9-9 SCIAC) remain right at .500 in conference play and currently sit in fourth place, the last seed needed to qualify for a playoff berth. With three games left in the season, the Regals are one game ahead of Pomona-Pitzer, as the Sagehens are still in the mix at 8-10 in conference play.
GAME ONE: Regals 6, Poets 8
The Regals jumped out to a 4-0 lead after just two innings of play, but the Poets were able to climb their way back and tie the game at 5-5 to force extra innings. A three-run home run by the Poets' nine-hole hitter made it 8-5 in one swing, where the score would remain despite the Regals' efforts in the bottom of the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Regals showed a fight by getting three runners on base via a walk and two hits, but costly baserunning outs neutralized the big inning that was brewing.
Sachi Reyes came off the bench and started the inning off with a leadoff walk, advanced to second base, and was driven in by
Brooke DeSmet, but DeSmet made the second out of the inning trying to turn a single into a double. With the bases empty,
Jessica Waters just missed a home run, hitting a towering shot off of the left-center field wall. Waters dug for second, but the Poets relay beat her there as the final out of the game was made at second base.
Casey Edwards (L) left it all out on the field, pitching all 9.0 innings of the game and keeping the score close for the Regals in key spots.
After Edwards pitched a clean top of the first, the Regals scored the game's first run after
Nadia Collins showed off her speed by scoring all the way from second base on an infield error by the Poets. In the second,
Emily Blank and
Hanna Booth reached via an error and a bunt single to start the inning, and
Abby Strong drove home a run with a double down the left-field line.
Ahlyssa Guzman reached on an error that allowed another run to score, and then Collins caught the Poets by surprise, laying down a successful drag bunt single for an RBI to make it 4-0.
The Poets used a three-run third inning and a two-run sixth to tie the game up, as they outscored the Regals 5-1 in the middle innings.
THE NUMBERS
- Edwards (1-6): 9.0 IP, 12 H, 8 R (6 earned), BB, K
- Collins: 3-5, R, 2 RBI, 2 SB
- Waters: 2-5, 2B
- Booth: 2-4, R
- Strong: 1-3, 2B, R, RBI
GAME TWO: Regals 6, Poets 1
Ashlyn Flinchum (W) allowed just one run and struck out eight in her 12th complete game of the season to salvage the split on the day and lead the Regals to a win in the series. The Regals jumped on the Poets quickly just like in game one, scoring all six of their runs in the first two innings.
With Poets on second and third in the top of the first inning, Flinchum struck out two batters in a row to get out of a jam. On the flip side, Collins smoked her fourth hit of the day up the middle to lead off the bottom of the first. She would finish 3-4 in game two, collecting a total of six hits in the doubleheader. DeSmet singled, and then Collins worked her magic on the base paths again, scoring from second base on a sacrifice bunt that never left the infield. The Regals got one more run thanks to a sacrifice fly by Waters.
After allowing the game's first run, Flinchum settled in and dominated, allowing just four hits after the first inning.
In the second, the Regals took advantage of two Poet errors in the inning, turning them into four runs.
Reyna Perez reached on an error, then Collins, DeSmet, and Vargas hit back-to-back-to-back singles to knock the Poets' starter out of the game. Waters walked with the bases loaded to bring home a run, an error by the center fielder brought another run home, and Blank's sacrifice fly capped off the four-run inning as the scoreboard read 6-1 in favor of the Regals.
THE NUMBERS
- Flinchum (10-5): 7.0 IP, 7 H, ER, 8 K
- Collins: 3-4, 2 R
- DeSmet: 3-4, 2 R
- Vargas: 1-2, R, 2 RBI
- Guzman: 2-3
UP NEXT
The Regals look to secure a SCIAC playoff spot and will celebrate their graduating senior class in their last home game against Redlands on Friday, May 3, at 3 p.m. as part of a three-game series.
