Ashlyn Ledbetter
Staff Writer
Following a loss to Redlands, the Leopards took on Occidental, winning two out of the three game series.
Game one took place at Occidental on Friday where the Leopards gained a 2-1 win and game two and three were Saturday afternoon at Campus West.
Following game one’s win, game two of the series got off to a slow start but the Leopards were able to pull through in the end to win, 2-0.
Both teams were struggling to bring in their baserunners. It was not until the fourth inning when La Verne junior designated player Jaylene Jaloma was able to double down the line and score junior pinch runner Cailin Bliss.
Sophomore infielder Jelena Aguon thought the team had great energy and praised the performance of the pitchers.
“We had the energy, we just needed more clutch at bats,” Aguon said. “Rachel Rubio and Jaidyn Alvarez really held it down for us both games.”
Sophomore catcher Alyssa Campbell felt the team performed well in some areas but really struggled offensively.
“I think we had the energy as a team and our pitchers did very well and pitched a great game but we were lacking in our hitting,” Campbell said. “We were unable to make adjustments in the box which ultimately got us in the end.”
Pitching the entire game for the Leopards was senior Rachel Rubio, who shut out the Tigers. Rubio had five strikeouts and only gave up five hits.
“I’m proud of my performance because I feel like I’ve been pretty reliable no matter what is going on in each game,” Rubio said. “I’m proud of how focused I’ve remained throughout it all and being someone my team can constantly count on.”
Sophomore center fielder Ashley Rodriguez picked things back up for the Leopards in the bottom of the sixth inning. She squared around and laid down a bunt which secured her a spot of first base. After a sacrifice bunt to move Rodriguez into scoring position, freshman third baseman Isabella Garcia singled to right field to score Rodriguez.
“It wasn’t our best performance. We were slacking a lot offensively especially when we needed it most,” Rodriguez said. “We’re definitely struggling but at the end of the day we just have to trust the process and play hard to end the season on a good note.”
The Leopards lost the second game of the doubleheader, 4-1. This leaves them 6-9 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and 18-14 overall.
The Leopards only have two more teams scheduled in conference as the SCIAC championships are coming up.
The softball team starts a three-game series against Cal Lutheran at 3 p.m. Friday at Campus West. The following two games will take place at Cal Lutheran noon and 2 p.m. Saturday.
Ashlyn Ledbetter can be reached at ashlyn.ledbetter@laverne.edu.
Ashlyn Ledbetter, a sophomore communications major with an emphasis in public relations, is a staff writer for the Campus Times.
