Cal Lutheran softball ended its 2025 season in a three-game battle with No. 9 Redlands, falling to the Bulldogs in the trio contests this past weekend.
GAME ONE: NO. 9 REDLANDS 2, CAL LUTHERAN 0
It was just two Redlands players that got the best of the Regals in the series opener, as starting pitcher Katlyn Gandara shut out the Cal Lu offense and catcher Isabella Culp brought in the two Bulldog runs.
The Regals recorded just four hits on the afternoon, all off the bats of seniors.
Annalise Chavez led with a double and a single, while
Olivia Vargas and
Mia Antonino contributed the other two base hits.
Ashlyn Flinchum threw the complete game, striking out three Bulldogs and allowing just five hits and zero walks.
GAME TWO: NO. 9 REDLANDS 7, CAL LUTHERAN 4 (8 INN.)
Back at home for Senior Day, Cal Lutheran fell short in a must-win scenario with the SCIAC Tournament on the line.
Jessica Waters got the Regals on the board first with a fielder's choice to score
Reyna Perez, but Redlands responded with three runs across the second and third innings to take the lead. However, clutch hits from Vargas and Chavez evened the score at three in the bottom of the frame.
The teams exchanged runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie it up again at four, but the Bulldogs busted it open in extras to take the game and clinch the regular season title.
Perez and
Hanna Booth had two hits each, and Flinchum got the ball again, striking out another three batters in her final Cal Lutheran outing.
GAME THREE: NO. 9 REDLANDS 9, CAL LUTHERAN 4
Errors were the culprit of the finale as four of the nine Redlands runs were unearned. The Bulldogs took an early 3-0 lead in which Cal Lu was unable to overcome.
Chavez homered in the final game of her career to bring the score to 3-2, but Redlands did not let up. With the Regals down by four, Antonino and
Siobhan Sandoval both drove in a run each, also in their final games.
Redlands then capped things off with two more runs in the sixth and seventh innings to conclude Cal Lutheran's 2025 run.
RECAP
The Regals finished the year with an 18-15 overall record (9-11 SCIAC) under Head Coach Kecia Davis, and achieved the most wins in a single-season since 2015. Despite just missing the conference tournament, this season was a remarkable turning point in the right direction for Cal Lutheran softball.
