LA VERNE – The University of La Verne returned to the Wheeler Park for just its second home series of this season and earned a split against Pomona-Pitzer on Friday afternoon.
La Verne moves to 8-14 overall and 4-8 in SCIAC play. Pomona-Pitzer is now 5-20 and 2-12.
Game 1: La Verne 9, Pomona-Pitzer 1 (5 innings)
Freshman pitcher Hayley Jaquess limited Pomona-Pitzer to just one unearned run on two hits and the offense amassed nine runs on 11 hits as the Leopards dispatched the Sagehens in five innings, 9-1.
With La Verne leading 7-1 in the bottom of the 5th, Raven Freret hit a double to deep right center that plated Katherine Kibbe and Katie Cunningham that gave the Leopards an eight-run lead which invoked the run rule.
Jaquess's and the Leopards' only blemish came in the 3rd inning. Jaquess got the first two batters out, but walked Ashley Morello and gave up a single to Aryana Yee. Morello then came around to score Pomona-Pitzer's only run of the game on an error at first.
Jaquess gave up a leadoff hit to Caitlyn Hynes in the fourth, but promptly induced a double play from the next batter and got Meagan Tokunaga to fly out to snuff out the rally.
The Leopards scored early and often. In the 1st, Danielle Vela drove in Rebecca Ireland with a bases loaded single to take a 1-0 lead. La Verne added three more in the 2nd when Freret drove in two with a double and scored herself on an error in the next at bat. The Leopards tacked on another three in the 4th with a pair of hits by Vela and Amanda Chavez.
Freret finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Vela and Chavez contributed two hits and two RBIs each.
Jaquess pitched all five innings to earn the win.
Game 2: Pomona-Pitzer 7, La Verne 4
Pomona-Pitzer used a three-run 7th to beat La Verne, 7-4, in Game 2.
With the game tied at 4-4, Morello and Yee led off the Sagehen 7th to start the rally. Morello scored on the next play when Lauren Boden was able to reach on a throwing error. Samantha Boden and Caitlyn Hynes each then followed with singles to plate Yee and L. Boden, respectively.
Pomona-Pitzer starter Eden Griffen retired the Leopards in order in the bottom of the 7th to finish off the complete game victory.
The Leopards got on the board in the second when Melisa Sponholz singled to bring home Mackenzie Dutton, but the Sagehens responded immediately in the next half inning. Quinn Sheehy singled and stole second to lead off the top 3rd, and Ashley Morello doubled to score Sheehy. La Verne starter Lyndsay Godwin retired the next two batters, but walked the following two and both of those runners came around to score on a fielding error to give the Sagehens a 3-1 lead.
Kibbe tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the 5th when she plated Ireland and Laura Olsen with a bases loaded double, but the Leopards couldn't manage any more the rest of the way.
Dutton and Sponholz each had two hits for the Leopards.
Rachel Hong was the hard-luck loser in the circle, giving up four runs—only two of them earned—in 4.1 innings. Hong scattered four hits while striking out two and did not walk a batter.
La Verne will be back in action this afternoon when they host Occidental for a doubleheader at Wheeler Park, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
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