Softball drops to No. 14 CMS in winners' semifinal

Softball drops to No. 14 CMS in winners' semifinal

LA VERNE, Calif. — The University of La Verne softball team ran into its first roadblock in more than a month, dropping to No. 14 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 10-1, in the winners' semifinal on the first day of the 2016 SCIAC Softball Postseason Touranment at Campus West.

The Leopards will take on Whittier in an elimination game tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The loss is La Verne's first since April 1 and stops its winning streak at 15.

It was just one of those games for La Verne. Katherine Kibbe (20-5) dropped her first decision in the circle in nearly two months, a defensive miscue cost a couple of runs and a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps senior had a career day as the Athenas blitzed the Leopards for a run-rule win.

CMS senior Carlene Roberts, who came into the day with six career home runs, launched two home runs and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored to lead the Athenas. Roberts put the Athenas on the board in the bottom of the second with a solo home run and Victoria Huynh added an RBI double to stake CMS to a 2-0 lead. La Verne's Carly Condon answered with a solo shot of her own in the top of the third to cut the deficit to 2-1, but that was all the Leopards would muster.

Roberts hit a two-run homer to cap off a four-run third inning for CMS and the Athenas took advantage of a costly fielding error to break the game open in the fourth. Huynh led off the bottom of the fourth with bunt single to third and Tara Robinson followed with the exact same play, but the throw to first leaked all the way to outfield and both runners came around to score. Abigail Metsch hit a two-run single to give the Athenas their final lead of the game.

La Verne had runners on first and third with two outs in the bottom of the third and Raeleen Tellez hit a screamer towards right, but Katie Savard stabbed it to end the inning.

The Leopards will be the home team and will bat second against Whittier. The winner of that matchup will go on to face the Athenas at 1:30 p.m.