LA VERNE, Calif. — Alexis Schiff homered twice, Hayley Jaquess was nearly flawless in the circle and the University of La Verne softball team beat Ithaca, 7-1, in the second game of a nonconference doubleheader at Campus West on Monday afternoon.
Schiff launched a two-run bomb over the left field fence in the third inning to give the Leopards a 3-0 lead and led off the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot near the same spot to put La Verne up by six.
Schiff finished perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and three RBI. She had a double in her first at bat in the first inning.
Jaquess (3-2), who has been wrestling with a bout of inconsistency in her second year after being named to Second Team All-SCIAC in 2014, turned in her best performance of the season on the bump. The sophomore struck out six, did not walk a batter and gave up just one run on three hits in a complete game victory. Her only blemish came with two outs in the seventh inning when Kelly Robichaud lifted one over the right field wall to put a dent in the scoreboard for Ithaca. Jaquess made a nice grab on a line drive by the next hitter to finish the game.
La Verne got off to a fast start. Wither runners at the corners in the first inning, Katherine Kibbe laced a double over the left fielder's head to cash in two runs. After Schiff's homer in the third, Mackenzie Dutton followed with a single and BreeAnna De La Rosa plated Dutton with a double that came off the left field fence.
A pair of newcomers recorded its first hits as Leopards to add an insurance in the sixth. Meghan Rogers laid down the perfect bunt towards third base for an infield hit and took second on an errant pickoff attempt by the catcher. Kimberly Dilda then hit a bloop liner to shallow left center to bring home Rogers and give the Leopards a 7-0 lead.
In the first game, the Bombers took advantage of La Verne's early control woes to grab an early lead and held on for a 4-2 win.
Erin McQuillan and Marissa Smith worked consecutive bases on balls to start the top of the second and both came around to score on a single and an RBI ground out.
BreeAnna De La Rosa immediately answered in the next half inning for La Verne with a leadoff home run to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Leopards could not hold. It was McQuillan and Smith doing the run-driving in the third as they hit a sacrifice fly and a single, respectively, to give the Bombers a 4-1 lead.
Angelica DeAngelo drove in the first run of her career in the bottom of the fourth, but that was all La Verne could manage.
Laura Quicker picked up the win for Ithaca, going all seven innings while striking out four.
Kibbe pitched four shutout inning in relief for the Leopards.
La Verne returns to SCIAC action on Saturday when it hosts Chapman for a doubleheader. First game starts at noon.
Athletics Communication intern Arianna Martinez contributed to this story.
