by Landus Rigsby
Staff Writer
It was a weekend of irony for the University of La Verne softball team, sweeping Pomona-Pitzer, 3-1 and 15-10, last Friday, then being swept by Cal Lutheran in Saturday’s doubleheader, 5-2 and 7-5.
“I am very proud of the way this team has handled itself with the adversity they have had to face throughout the season,” said head coach Julie Kline. “This team is resilient. They are a great group of people who I have enjoyed working with.”
The Leopards started their weekend action at Pomona-Pitzer, battling the Sagehens. La Verne had a two run third inning kicked off by a single from senior shortstop Kelly Perkins and completed with an RBI single by sophomore right fielder Angel Mejico.
ULV went up for good in the fifth inning with Perkins leading off the inning with a single. After two sacrifices by senior infielder Jenna Bowman and senior catcher Laurie Grey, sophomore center fielder Lindsey Weber brought Perkins in to take the game 3-1.
Freshman hurler Teresa DaValle pitched all seven innings, only giving up one run and four hits.
The second game of Friday’s doubleheader was a high-scoring affair with the Leopards holding on for a 15-10 win.
ULV got the bats cracking in the first inning with a run batted in from Mejico and senior center fielder Katie Miner to take a quick 2-0 advantage. After Pomona-Pitzer tied the score in the bottom of the first, the Leopards responded with a four run second inning capped off by a Weber RBI single to take a 6-2 lead going into the third inning.
Pomona-Pitzer responded in the third inning, scoring six runs to tie the score at 8-8 after the Leopards had scored two more runs to begin the inning.
Both teams stayed close to each other the rest of the way until the eighth inning, in which La Verne scored six runs to finally put the game out of reach. Key hits by junior outfielders Teresa Garcia and Jamie Anderson as well as runs batted in by Bowman and Grey had La Verne’s offense cranked up to the max.
ULV freshman pitcher Michelle Geiger pitched eight innings giving up eight earned runs.
Attempting to extend their winning streak, the Leopards returned home to host Cal Lutheran in a Saturday doubleheader. Defense was the key to the Leopard demise, as Cal Lutheran held the Leopards to just two runs in the first game of the doubleheader, winning 5-2.
Grey led the Leopards, going two of three on the day with two RBI and Miner went three of four, but La Verne’s only offense came in the third and seventh innings.
Geiger pitched in her second consecutive game, striking out two batters and giving up three earned runs.
The Leopards attempted to establish a quick advantage over Cal Lu in the second game of the doubleheader by building a 5-0 lead, but the Regals came back and overcame the Leopards, 7-5.
“I thought we did a nice job offensively against Pomona-Pitzer Friday and on Saturday, we struggled defensively,” said Kline.
In the fifth inning, Bowman, Grey, Miner and junior center fielder Teresa Garcia’s key hits helped the Leopards to a two run advantage over Cal Lu, after the Regals had scored three runs in the top of the inning. A four run seventh inning, courtesy of the Regals followed and the Leopards had lost their second game in a row at home.
Kline said, “Our ability to focus has probably been our weakness and it took us a long time to figure out that great things happen if you work hard.”
Two road games are up for the Leopards this weekend. Today’s game is at Chapman at 2 p.m. Tomorrow the team travels to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, with a noon start time.
