Leila El Sabbagh
Sports Editor
The Leopards’ softball team was unable to stop the Chapman Panthers from sweeping them in their series beginning on April 18. The series kicked off with a 7-0 loss in Orange, followed by losses of 7-2 and 6-5 for La Verne on Saturday at Campus West.
The Panthers immediately got to work in the second game of the doubleheader, scoring a run at the top of the first inning off a safety squeeze bunt by senior third baseman Ilianna Serna.
The Leopards answered right back by keeping it simple, stringing together singles when senior designated player Kirstin Sanchez came up big with a two RBI double to take the lead.
“I think we figured out a better flow for our offense so we can pass the bat,” head coach Danielle Kaminaka said. “The mindset of just turning the page when something happens that maybe isn’t how we want it.”
Freshman shortstop Mackenzie Johnson added to the Leopards’ score with an RBI single into left field updating the score to 3-1 La Verne.
Something that the Leopards use to help them accomplish their goals to get them going is a big yellow poster board.
“We have different goals in each game and everytime we make that goal, we have someone in the dugout who’s in charge of it,” senior catcher Alyssa Campbell said. “Every time we reach a goal we put a little softball on it, so it can be from doubles or the amount of people who got on base or if the energy was on that inning.”
After two scoreless innings for Chapman and La Verne, the Panthers tied the game up with back-to-back doubles. After the hits, starting pitcher for the game junior Jaidynn Alvarez was taken out of the game.
“Honestly, I was trying to give us a good fresh start after the second game,” Alvarez said. “Chapman is a difficult team to beat so I just wanted to go in there and give our team the best chance that we could.”
The Panthers continued to chip away at the La Verne defense, hitting into gaps all over the field. They would eventually score three runs off of Sanchez, pitching in relief, to make the score 6-3.
As the game was coming to an end, the Leopards had to find a way to put runs on the board to get back into the game.
With runners at second and third, Campbell didn’t waste any time, hitting a double to right center, bringing in two runs for the Leopards. Campbell gave La Verne the opportunity to rally and tie the game up, however the inning ended when Sanchez grounded out to first base.
“I’m just looking to see the ball and just hit the ball hard wherever it’s at,” Campbell said. “They were pitching me a lot of out today, that was what I was focusing on during practice and adjusting to throughout my at-bat.”
Freshman third baseman Janelle Vega shared how the Leopards were able to come back with momentum.
“We just have to let everyone know we have each other’s back and that just because they scored doesn’t mean we just have to go down,” Vega said. “We needed to come back up.”
During the final two innings the Panthers and the Leopards were unable to put any more runs on the board, ending the game with a score of 6-5 in favor of Chapman.
The Leopards, who are 6-9 in conference, are looking to their next series in Redlands to bounce back from this sweep, with the goal of making the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
“I’m honestly excited,” Alvarez said. “We still have a really good chance at making the tournament, so I just hope that we take these next couple series really seriously and continue to work hard.”
The Leopards face the Bulldogs for a doubleheader in Redlands starting at noon Saturday.
Leila El Sabbagh can be reached at leila.elsabbagh@laverne.edu.
Leila El Sabbagh is the sports editor for the Campus Times. She is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism who aspires to be a sports broadcaster. She has previously served as a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Emily Casillas is a junior photography major with a concentration in sports photography. She is a staff photographer for both the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine, as well as La Verne Athletics. Her work can also be found at Shot2byEmily.
