THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Kendall Marinesi connected on her ninth home run of the season as Regals softball took on the Chapman Panthers in a doubleheader on Friday afternoon. The Panthers outlasted the Regals in the 10-inning first game, 15-11, and then took the second game, 14-3.
Marinesi's ninth home run ties for the 12th most in the nation. It is also tied for the fourth-most in program history for a single season. The top mark in school history for a season is 12.
The two games saw very different outcomes. The first game lasted three hours and 15 minutes and went 10 innings while the second ended in five innings after just 1 hour and 28 minutes.
Catherine Slabaugh led the offense in the double header and collected five hits, including three doubles, and six RBI. Rachel Barker was next with three RBI, three hits and a run.
Celeste Ekman and Marinesi each added two more RBI and a double. Ekman also recorded five hits and two runs while Marinesi tallied three hits and four runs.
Game One
Brittany Workman started the doubleheader for the Regals. Chapman got on the board first, scoring on Workman in the first inning.
Cal Lutheran scored early and often against Chapman as they took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Lauren Salvati singled to start the game and advanced to second as Mia Onesto walked.
Marinesi made it three straight Regals to reach base as she drilled a RBI double off the fence.
Barker kept the bats hot as she hit a RBI single to center field, advancing Marinesi to third. The next two Cal Lutheran batters got out, however, Barker advanced to second. Slabaugh made it a three-run inning as she singled through the right side, scoring Marinesi.
The Panthers got one run back in the top of the second before CLU then added to its lead. The Regals scored five runs in their half of the inning, off three hits and three errors. Barker and Ekman recorded a RBI single and Slabaugh tallied a bases clearing double, resulting in three more runs.
The Regals had an 8-2 lead heading to the third inning, but Chapman scored six runs and tied up the game. Workman was out after 2.1 innings and Meghan Henry was brought in to try and stop the damage. The pitchers shut down the bats over the next two innings for each team and the game was tied going to the bottom of the fifth.
CLU broke the tie in the fifth as the Regals added two runs in the inning. With two outs and runners on first and second, Cal Lutheran made its move. Barker tallied the first RBI with a single through the right side. Ekman recorded the second one with a single up the middle. The Regals tried to add more, but left two runners on base.
Chapman knotted the game back up in the top of the sixth with a 2-RBI triple. Cal Lutheran looked to answer in the bottom of the inning, but stranded a runner on second. Neither team could score in the seventh and the game went to extra innings.
The Panthers broke the tie in the eighth. With a runner on first base, Chapman used a sac bunt, and heads up running got the baserunner to third. A sac fly drove in the go-ahead run as CLU looked to answer in the bottom of the inning. The Regals did just that as Salvati delivered the game tying single.
Sammy Edmonds came in to pitch for the Regals. She got the first batter to ground out and struck out the next. She sat the three batters down in order as the third Panther lined out to left field. Both teams went scoreless in the ninth, but the Panthers scored four runs in the tenth and won the high-scoring game 15-11.
Game Two
Chapman carried the momentum over to the second game of the doubleheader. The panthers were on fire to start and put up nine runs on Olivia Serrano and the defense in the first inning, but just two were earned runs. CU added two more runs in the second and third inning and had a commanding lead.
Sierra Scali came in during the third and pitched 2.2 innings. She kept the Chapman bats quiet the rest of the way as she allowed just three hits and one earned run.
CLU got one run back as Marinesi homered in the third. Chapman matched the home run in the fifith with one of their own and the lead was 14-1 for the Panthers. Slabaugh then drilled a 2-RBI double to left center, but CLU did not score anymore as Chapman took the second game 14-3.
Cal Lutheran (8-24, 2-18 SCIAC) is back on the road for a doubleheader on Saturday against Whittier with the games set for 12 and 2 p.m.
Box Score: CU 15, CLU 11; CU 14, CLU 3
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director