LOS ANGELES— The Cal Lutheran softball team outlasted the Occidental Tigers, 5-4, in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers took the first game and defeated the Regals 11-3.
CLU got its second Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) win and are 2-8 on the season. With the split, they are 8-14 overall. Occidental is now 3-18 with all three wins coming in SCIAC (3-9) play.
Game One – OXY 11, CLU 3 (5 innings)
Cal Lutheran took an early lead as the Regals put up three runs in the top of the first inning. Kendall Marinesi got the offense going as she led off with a single down the left field line. Two batters later, Mia Onesto singled as Marinesi moved up a base.
Rachel Barker continued her hot hitting and drilled a RBI double to right center. Lauren Salvati had the next RBI as she doubled up the middle, scoring Onesto. The final run of the inning was scored off a hard hit ball by Catherine Slabaugh, resulting in a Tigers' error, and scored Barker.
CLU looked to have the momentum as the game headed to bottom of the first. Brittany Workman got the call for the Regals, however, it wasn't her day as she only lasted one inning. She gave up seven runs off six hits as CLU found themselves in a hole.
Oxy shut down the Regals after the first inning, and only allowed three hits over the next four innings. On the other side, the Tigers put up two runs in the third and fifth innings. The lead ended the game, due to the mercy rule, as Oxy defeated CLU 11-3. Workman took the loss and dropped back to .500 at 3-3.
Game Two – CLU 5, OXY 4
The Regals started the second game exactly like the first, scoring three runs in the first inning. With runners on second and third, Barker lofted a sac fly to the outfield, as Marinesi raced home and Onesto advanced to third. Lexie Findley was up next and laced a ball into left field for a RBI single. With the bases loaded, CLU scored one more run, as Marissa Alfaia was hit by a pitch.
Olivia Serrano was on-point for the first two innings and only gave up one hit while striking out one batter. The Regals gave her more run support as Findley added a RBI via a sac fly in the second and Slabaugh did the same in the third.
The Tigers got to Serrano in the bottom of the third and tagged her for four runs off a grand slam. After the home run, Serrano got back into her groove. Oxy had two runners left on base, in the fourth and fifth innings, but Serrano got out of trouble with no runs scored.
Cal Lutheran looked to add to its lead in the top of the sixth. Courtney Haapanen doubled to center field to start the inning. After a fly out by Barker, Findley moved Haapanen to third with a ground out. The Regals could not add the run as the Tigers escaped and still trailed just 5-4.
The game down to the bottom of the seventh with CLU leading by just one run. Serrano struck out the first batter and got the second batter to ground out. After a single, Serrano finished off the Tigers with a strikeout, giving CLU the 5-4 win. With the complete game win, she is now 2-5.
Cal Lutheran continues the season with SCIAC opponent, Pomona-Pitzer. The Regals host the Sagehens Friday at 12 and 2 p.m.
Box Score: OXY 11, CLU 3; CLU 5, OXY 4
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director