LA VERNE, Calif. — Katheryn Navarro cranked a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to propel the La Verne softball team to 6-4 win over Cal Lutheran in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Campus West.
In the nightcap, Hayley Jaquess and Ashley Caro combined to hold the Regals to two runs to lead the Leopards to a 5-2 win.
La Verne improves to 11-3 overall and 7-1 in SCIAC play. Cal Lutheran falls to 3-7 and 3-5.
Game 1: La Verne 6, Cal Lutheran 4
With the game tied at 4-4, Alexis Schiff led off the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle and Navarro didn't waste any time, sending one over the left field fence in the next at bat to give the Leopards a walk-off win.
Navarro (3-0) also picked up the win in the circle after taking over in the sixth inning and holding the Regals scoreless over the final two frames.
The Leopards opened the scoring first on a run-scoring double by Navarro in the bottom of the first. But Cal Lutheran responded the next half inning as Olivia Leyva led off with a double and Kendall Marinesi brought her home with a single.
Justice Borden broke the tie in the bottom of the third with a three-run shot to deep left center.
The Regals took one back in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by Antonia Rapisardi and tied the game in the fifth on back-to-back run-scoring hits by Leyva and Olivia Serrano.
Borden was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate and Schiff also collected three hits. Navarro was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Serrano took the loss for the Regals after giving up the game-winning home run to Navarro.
Game 2: La Verne 5, Cal Lutheran 2
The Leopards scored all the runs they needed in the first inning.
Navarro once again opened the scoring with an RBI double after Rachel Ogata walked to lead off the inning and Schiff reached on an error. Sienna Kendricks followed with a sacrifice fly to deep right and Borden scored Navarro on a single up the middle to give the Leopards a 3-2 lead.
La Verne extended the lead to 4-0 on a sacrifice fly by Carly Condon in the bottom of the second before the Regals cut the lead to 4-2 on a solo homer by Leyva and an RBI single by Abbigael Howard.
Schiff hit her nation-leading ninth home run in the fifth inning to seal the game for La Verne.
Caro (2-0) took the circle in the fourth inning after Howard's single and kept the Regals scoreless the rest of the way to earn the win. Jaquess was solid in the start, giving up one earned run in 3.2 innings.
Up next
The Leopards are back in action on Tuesday against Ithaca.