Daniel Franklin
Staff Writer
The Leopards, in a mid-season conference clash, defeated Cal Lutheran, 2-1, at Campus West on April 10. The team also had a doubleheader the next day against the Regals in Thousand Oaks, winning game one, 6-3, and falling short, 9-4, in the final game.
La Verne sophomore third baseman Janelle Vega hit a walkoff single to win the Friday game while sophomore pitcher Briana Vasquez recorded her sixth complete game and seventh win of the season.
“I think the win shows the fight this team has,” Angelina Ratzlaff, freshman second baseman, said. “It definitely sparked some momentum for us to come out the next day and take the series.”
The Leopards came out hot, scoring early in the first inning. Junior center fielder Allie Colenzo started off the game with a single, stole second base and advanced on a groundout to the pitcher.
La Verne junior shortstop Brooke Petretti then grounded out to first base, and Colenzo rushed home to score the game’s first run.
“My mindset going into this game was to know what my team needed from me and to get that job done,” Colenzo said. “I also knew that this was a series that we could take, so I had confidence in my team.”
In the top of the sixth, the Regals hit a single and a double to tie the game at 1-1, setting the stage for the Leopards in the seventh.
The Leopards were given some help for their rally, as senior right fielder Annica Luna was hit by the pitch and Ratzlaff reached base on an error.
“Our mindset going into the game was to come out ready to play our game and to make intentional adjustments throughout the game, which we did,” Allison Gutierrez, freshman designated player, said. “We carried this mindset going into the rest of the series on Saturday and it got us the series win.”
Junior pinch hitter Mikayla Galaviz executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners in scoring position. Then, with the shortstop and second baseman shifting to the right and left, Vega was able to hit a grounder up the middle and beat out the throw to lift the Leopards to their sixth Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win.
“Every game we are getting closer to each other and bonding,” junior first baseman Kileah Lologo said. “You can see it when we play on the field. We all play knowing we can trust one another to pass the bat and perform.”
La Verne junior left fielder Kylee Knight, Ratzlaff, Vega and Colenzo combined for the four singles the Leopards needed for the win.
Vasquez was excellent in the circle. She continued her strong campaign by tossing seven innings with three punchouts, while allowing just one run on three hits.
La Verne now has an overall record of 13-18, and 7-5 in SCIAC. The Leopards are currently third in the conference behind Chapman in second and Redlands in first place.
The Leopards will have another conference clash series against Chapman this weekend, the first game is at 3 p.m. on Friday in Orange, followed by a senior day doubleheader at noon Saturday at Campus West.
Daniel Franklin can be reached at daniel.franklin@laverne.edu.
Daniel Franklin is a junior communications major and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
Bajot Rathor is a senior organizational management major with a concentration in leadership and management, along with minors in photography and American law. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine.
