LA VERNE, CA – The University of La Verne softball team picked up a dominant, six-inning, 10-2 run-rule win on Senior Day over No. 22 ranked Chapman on Saturday to wrap up their series with the Panthers.
Allison Gutierrez had a breakout day for the Leopards, finishing the doubleheader with her first collegiate home run, two doubles, four RBIs, four hits, and four runs, including the game-winner in game two.
Postseason Outlook
The Leopards are in a tight race for a spot in the four-team SCIAC Postseason Tournament. La Verne is in fourth place with a 7-6 conference record with two series remaining. No. 7 ranked Redlands is in first place at 14-1, followed by Chapman at 11-4. The Leopards will face off next week against the third-place Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, who sit one game ahead of the Leopards at 9-6. The Whittier Poets are in fifth place at 7-8.
Game Two: La Verne 10, No. 22 Chapman 2
The second game saw the Leopards control in the fifth inning, when they sent 12 batters to the plate and combined for six runs on five hits, to take a 9-2 lead. Angelina Ratzlaff highlighted the inning with a two-RBI base-clearing triple, and Guiterrez hit a two-RBI double.
Ratzlaff hit a sacrifice fly the following inning to score Gutierrez, delivering the game-winning RBI. Overall, La Verne combined for 10 runs and eight hits, while striking out just twice.
In the circle, senior right-hander Jaidynn Alvarez dazzled, going six innings, limiting the Panthers to just two runs, and allowing no walks.
La Verne's scoring began in the second thanks to a lead-off extra base hit from Aries Alonso, and a sacrifice fly from Cristina Lopez. Two more runs in the fourth gave the Leos the lead. Gutierrez roped a double and scored on an error by the Panthers second baseman. Petretti drove home another run on a groundout to push the score to 3-2.
Game One: Chapman 5, La Verne 4
The Panthers got the scoring started early with five runs in the second. Despite the early momentum, La Verne answered right back with four of their own. In the second inning, Ratzlaff reached on a fielder's choice, and Lopez got on base with a single to left, the first hit of her collegiate career. Alexis Keifer drove in a run with a fielder's choice. Gutierrez followed and blasted a deep drive into left for a home run.
In the third, Kylee Knight doubled and advanced on a wild pitch, and came around to score on an RBI ground out from Kileah Lologo to put the deficit at one.
Despite this production, the Leopards couldn't find the equalizer.
Gutierrez led the way offensively, going 2-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Knight, Ratzlaff, and Brooke Petretti each contributed with a 1-3 performance at the plate. Alexis Keifer made her impact by driving in a run and coming around to score.
Briana Vasquez went seven innings, allowing five runs on ten hits while striking out three.
Up Next
The Leopards will continue the playoff push with a three-game series against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens starting at Campus West on Friday at 3 p.m.
