by Ramzi Rabadi
Staff Writer
The University of La Verne women’s softball team ended its season last weekend on a bitter note, losing to Chapman and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Last Friday, the Leopards could not stop the highly ranked Panthers team losing, 24-0, 13-0.
In the first game at Chapman, all the Leopards played out of their routine positions because of illnesses and injuries.
“Everyone was in unfamiliar positions including me, I was catching for the first time this year,” said senior first baseman Katie Miner.
Unfortunately things started out bad for the Leopards and they dug themselves into a hole.
The first game of the doubleheader, a two-time first-team All-America from the Panthers, junior Jessamine Maiben led the way to set a school record with seven RBI.
Also, freshmen Brittany Carlson from Chapman helped her team win its 15th consecutive game to keep the Panthers rolling into playoffs.
Throughout the game the Panthers never substituted and kept the unsportsman-like conduct going, running the score up which put the Leopards away for good.
“We played a lot better the second game against Chapman but it was too late,” said Miner.
The two wins for the Panthers moved their overall record to 34-7.
The losses to the impressive Panther team seemed to effect the Leopards the next day against the Athenas.
The Athenas (25-12) defeated the Leopards holding them too two shutouts, 8-0, 5-0.
In the first game against Claremont, senior third baseman Kelly Perkins got the only hit for the Leopards. Perkins ended the season with team high batting average in SCIAC of .451, which was fifth place in SCIAC, and had 12 doubles for the year. Lindsey Weber from ULV ended in third place in SCIAC with a batting average of .418 and six triples.
The lack of timely hitting effected the Leopards in game two. Especially in the fifth inning. Freshmen Michelle Geiger (fifth in SCIAC with strikeouts with 32) and junior catcher Jamie Anderson led off with base hits, but did not score.
“We rallied in the last inning of the Claremont game but once again it was too late,” Miner said.
“Throughout the season, we had not really come together as a team, but things kind of clicked in the last game against Claremont and we played together for the first time. It was the first time all year everyone high-fived each other, and each player seem to support each player on the team,” said Miner.
The Leopards ended their season with an overall record of 17-21 and in SCIAC, 9-15.
Ramzi Rabadi
