THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran softball hosted Pomona-Pitzer for a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the SCIAC series. The Regals dropped both contests, allowing the Sagehens to complete the weekend sweep.
GAME ONE: POMONA-PITZER 5, CAL LUTHERAN 0
Cal Lutheran (17-10, 8-6 SCIAC) struggled to get the bats going in the opener as Nyla Springer of Pomona-Pitzer threw a complete game shutout. The Regals were making contact, but recorded just four hits in the contest as the rest went directly into the gloves of the Sagehen defense.
Ally Forbell (3-5) got the start for Cal Lutheran and went 3.1 innings before
Ashlyn Flinchum was called upon in efforts to shut things down. The two combined for nine strikeouts with seven of them coming from the latter.
In the bottom of the seventh, Head Coach Kecia Davis looked to the bench for a quintet of pinch hitters, in which first-years
Rylee Carrillo and
Brooke Strahm delivered a pair of singles. However, it wouldn't be enough as the comeback attempt fell short.
GAME TWO: POMONA-PITZER 8, CAL LUTHERAN 7
The Regals managed to turn things around in the series finale, but Pomona prevailed for the sweep.
Both teams came out firing as they exchanged the bulk of their runs across the first three innings of play. The Sagehens got on the board first, but the Regals immediately responded with four hits to tie the game at two.
Pomona drove in three more in the top of the second to take a 5-2 lead, in which the Regals would follow up with just one in the form of
Mia Antonino, who scored on a single to right from
Brooke DeSmet.
Still in a three-run hole in the bottom of the third, a
Nadia Collins base hit brought in two to shorten the deficit. Both sides were quiet in the fourth, but the Sagehens rallied to extend their lead in the top of the fifth.
The next inning, a trio of hits from DeSmet,
Olivia Vargas, and
Danielle Diaz put the score back within one and gave Cal Lu some hope, but the scoring would stop there, allowing Pomona walk away victorious.
UP NEXT
With just two weeks left of regular season play, the Regals are tied for third with the Sagehens in the SCIAC standings. They'll be back at home on Friday, April 25 to take on Chapman at 3 PM.
