The University of La Verne dropped both games of a softball doubleheader Saturday against No. 19 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, falling to the Athenas 10-0 in five innings in the opener followed by a 7-3 defeat in the second game at Wheeler Park.
GAME 1 - CMS 10, La Verne 0
The Athenas wasted little time in gaining an advantage by scoring three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first. Leading 1-0, Carlene Roberts smacked a run scoring double to drive in Harmony Palmer. Janelle Shiozaki would later connect on a RBI single to go up 3-0.
CMS engineered a four-run top of the third, powered by RBI singles from Tara Robinson, Palmer and Marie Bradvica, to grab a 7-0 advantage.
In the fifth, the Athenas added three runs on one hit, scoring on a sacrifice bunt, passed ball, and a Leopard fielding error.
Hayley Schultz earned limited the Leopards to one hit over five innings to earn the win.
GAME 2 - CMS 7, La Verne 3
The Athenas broke out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on a two-run double from Bradvica.
La Verne would answer in the bottom half of the frame on consecutive RBI doubles from Breeanna De La Rosa and Raven Freret. De La Rosa's two-bagger drove in Danielle Vela with Freret following with a double to left center to plate De La Rosa to knot the game at 2.
CMS (22-10, 14-6 SCIAC) went back ahead in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on a pair of hits and an error. Palmer delivered the go-ahead single to score Shannon O'Neill from second, and Katie Savard followed with a sacrifice bunt to bring in Robinson. A bases loaded walk to Long and an RBI sacrifice fly from Megan Latta extended the Athena lead to 6-2.
Mackenzie Dutton belted a solo homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the fifth to cut into the deficit to 6-3, but the Leopards were unable to add to their total, resulting in a second Athena victory.
Schultz pitched 5.1 innings to notch her 17th victory.
Vela and Freret each went 2-3 at the plate with a run batted in for the Leopards.
La Verne (19-13, 11-11) continues league action next weekend as it travels to Eagle Rock to face Occidental on Friday afternoon in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 pm.