RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Cal Lutheran softball opened the 2026 season with a split against NAIA opponent La Sierra on Monday afternoon, dropping a tightly contested opener before bouncing back with an 11-4 victory in game two.
The Regals showed both grit and firepower in the doubleheader, erasing an early deficit in the nightcap and pulling away with a six-run final two innings to even the day.
GAME ONE: LA SIERRA 2, CAL LUTHERAN 1
Both squads were locked in a pitcher's duel for most of the opener, with the Regals' lone run crossing the plate in the top of the second inning and the Golden Eagles being held scoreless until the final frame.
Sofia Aviles jump-started the Purple & Gold with a double to left center, and
Reyna Perez followed with an RBI double to put Cal Lutheran on the board and give the Regals a 1-0 lead.
Ally Forbell was sharp in the circle in her season debut, working efficiently through the lineup and keeping La Sierra off the scoreboard through six-plus innings. The Regals threatened multiple times, collecting six hits in the game, but were unable to add an insurance run.
La Sierra broke through in the bottom of the seventh, using a walk and back-to-back RBI singles to plate two runs and walk off with the win.
Perez led the offense with a pair of doubles and the lone RBI, while Aviles and
Nadia Collins also recorded extra-base hits. Forbell went 6.1 innings, allowing just one walk and six hits.
GAME TWO: CAL LUTHERAN 11, LA SIERRA 4
The Regals responded with an offensive explosion in game two, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit and taking control with a dominant middle-to-late innings surge.
Jessica Waters ignited the comeback in the fourth inning, launching the first home run of the season to cut the deficit in half. The Regals followed with RBI singles from
Kalli Strahm and Collins to take a 3-2 lead.
Cal Lu widened the gap in the fifth as
Samantha Swerdloff delivered a clutch two-run single, capitalizing on La Sierra miscues to make it 5-2.
After the Golden Eagles briefly pulled within two, the Regals kept their foot on the gas. Aviles and Swerdloff drove in runs in the sixth, setting the stage for a monster seventh inning.
Danielle Diaz put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the seventh, and Swerdloff added an RBI double to cap an 11-run, 17-hit performance.
Strahm earned the win in the circle, going the distance and inducing timely outs. Waters finished with three runs scored, while seven Regals recorded multi-hit games. Swerdloff led the way with three hits and two RBIs, and Diaz drove in three with her late blast.
UP NEXT
The Regals remain on the road, heading to Chapman for a doubleheader that opens SCIAC play on Saturday, February 14. First pitch is set for 12 p.m., with game two to follow at 2 p.m.
