LA VERNE, Calif. — The La Verne softball team swept Occidental behind the do-it-all freshman Katheryn Navarro on Sunday at Campus West.

At the plate, Navarro tallied four hits, four RBI and a run scored in the two games. In the first game, as Oxy was mounting a rally, the Anaheim native took over in the circle in the fifth inning and pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn her first career save.

Game 1: La Verne 6, Occidental 5

La Verne got the scoring going early in the first game as Alexis Schiff cranked a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The Leopards came up with three straight hits to start the second inning to add another run and Carly Condon hit a two-run double to deep left center to stake the Leopards out to a 5-1 lead.

The Tigers chipped away taking advantage of La Verne pitchers' shaky control. In the third inning, Oxy scored two runs in the third without getting a hit. They drew a pair of walks and a hit by pitch to load the baes and scored on a wild pitch and yet another walk. The Tigers then got within 5-4 as Cayman Hunter drove in a run that had gotten on base with a walk in the fifth inning.

But the Leopards stayed a step ahead. Navarro led off with a single and Haley Gomez brought her in with a fielder's choice ground ball for what turned out to be the game winning run.

Every Leopards in the starting lineup notched at least hit in the game and Carly Condon led with two hits.

Game 2: La Verne 7, Occidental 4

It was Oxy who jumped out first in the nightcap. The Tigers loaded the bases to start the game and opened the scoring with Alexis Funaki's infield single to second. They then tacked on two more runs on a La Verne error to grab a 3-0 lead.

But La Verne scored seven runs in the first four innings to take a 7-1 lead and never looked back. Navarro got the scoring started with a run-scoring single in the first inning and tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third with a two-run double.

Then, with runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the fourth, Rachel Ogata laid down a bunt to try to advance the runners. But Oxy third basemen Samantha Yee, who had just come into the game, airmailed the throw to first all the way into right field and everyone, including Ogata, came around to score. Navarro capped off the inning with a double to score Alexis Schiff.

Elisa Ponce, who got the start for La Verne, shook off the first inning and threw a complete game. She struck out seven and gave up two earned runs.

Up next

The Leopards are back in action on Friday at Pomona-Pitzer.