Begle Headlines Thrilling comeback for Lady Crusaders but La Verne Walks-off for Sweep
LA VERNE, Calif. – A wild seventh inning in game two of Thursday night's doubleheader favored the University of La Verne over the University of Dallas softball team. Down to their final out and trailing 6-1, the Lady Crusaders had five batters reach in a row, and were able to knot the contest on the strength of a senior Erin Begle (Houston, Texas) triple and freshman Katie Antigua (Elk, Grove, Calif.) double.
It would go for naught however, as the home team answered with a two-out grand slam by Alexis Schif to give the Leopards a sweep of the non-conference twinbill. They shutout Dallas earlier, 8-0, in five innings.
GAME ONE INFORMATION
Teams: University of Dallas (0), University of La Verne (8)
Records: Dallas (6-9), La Verne (10-4)
Pitching decisions: W) Kibbe (5-3), L) Lee (5-6)
In game one, Dallas allowed seven runs through two innings as the home team gained enough momentum to conclude the opener in five frames. After going ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the Leopards would pounce for six in the next trip to the plate. They sent 11 batters to the plate in that inning.
Two of the team's five hits led off the inning and then a walk to Raeleen Tellez created a bases loaded situation. After Rachel Ogata reached on a fielder's choice that scored Sienna Kendricks, Carly Condone cleared the basepaths with a grand slam. That opened up a 7-0 gap at the time.
The Lady Crusaders had a runner in scoring position in the third inning, and loaded the bases in the fifth. However, the visitors would be blanked.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Dallas picked up three hits. Senior Erin Begle (Houston, Texas) extended her streak to nine games with her double.
- Freshman Samantha Laberge (Round Rock, Texas), and junior Allison Kotlar (Edna, Texas) also had hits.
- Junior Avery Finch ended a career-high hitting streak at 12 games. Still, she walked in her final at-bat to keep her streak of reaching base safely alive in all contests this spring. She also had a steal.
- Dallas committed two errors and drew four walks. Freshman Melanie Savala (Bryan, Texas) had two free passes and also swiped a base.
- Junior Katie Lee (Houston, Texas) took the loss with 1.2 innings in the start. Freshman Paige Parks (Cedar Parks, Texas) finished the last 2.2 frames.
- La Verne etched seven hits and four were extra bases. Condon and Mackenzie Dutton had 2-for-4 showings.
- Dutton, Alexis Schiff, and Kendricks each pounded a double.
- Katherine Kibbe went five innings in the shutout win. She limited UD to three hits and walked four. She struck out five opponents.
GAME TWO INFORMATION
Teams: University of Dallas (6), University of La Verne (10)
Records: Dallas (6-10), La Verne (11-4)
Pitching decisions: W) Jaquess (5-1), L) Lee (5-7)
Down 6-1, the Lady Crusaders had managed four hits on the evening. The visitors doubled that output in the final team at-bat of the game. A one-out double by freshman Roma Thornton (Wharton, Texas) got the momentum of the inning started. After a fly out to center, the Navy and White got an infield hit from Finch.
Savala and junior Lyda Tesauro (Hollywood, Fl.) worked walks and brought the game-typing run at the plate in cleanup hitter Begle. She was already 2-for-3 on the night and smashed a deep flyball to left center that just missed knotting the game. Instead it ricochet off the wall and kicked back towards centerfield. Begle hustled in for a standup triple and nipped the deficit to 6-5.
Next up was Antigua, and the rookie first baseman remained calm as she tattooed a double to left center and made it a whole new ballgame again.
A tremendous effort would be countered by La Verne posting three hits. The bottom half of the frame began with a walk by pinch hitter, Melissa Garcia. With one out and bases loaded, UD's Lee bared down on the rubber and got a huge swinging strikeout from Dutton. On the next pitch however, Schif lifted a high fly ball that sailed over the far left side of the left field wall and gave the Leopards their second grand slam in as many games.
It appeared to be mostly La Verne again from the onset, as they scored at least once in the first three innings. A three-run homer by Dutton in the second was a big part of the early 4-0 lead for La Verne at that juncture. After being ahead by five, the Lady Crusaders got their first run in the fourth on a double by Begle that scored Savala.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
-Begle set a new career-long hitting streak to nine games with her season-best performance. The previous long was eight during her rookie collegiate year. The shortstop finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and scored the game-tying run.
-Kotlar added a multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 showing. The heart of the UD order (hitters 3,4,5) drove in all the runners. Savala went hitless, but reach twice via a walk and scored just as many times. Tesauro also walked a pair of times and Antigua completed the team's five overall.
- Savala snatched her seventh steal of the campaign second game in a row. Finch kept her on-base streak alive with a hit. She has been on every time this spring.
- Lee received the hard luck loss after holding the Leopards scoreless in 1.2 innings to give the road team a chance to battle into the final half of the seventh. The career-record leader in innings pitched and wins would go 2.1 innings overall and struck out the only two La Verne Batters.
- Freshman Baylee Rose-Justin (Hesperia, Calif.) made her starting debut. She four runs on six hits in two innings.
- La Verne mustered 12 hits and was errorless for the second game in a row. Dutton and Schiff each notched four RBI to give three players in this game with that many.
- Condon paced the team with a 3-for-5 and three runs scored. She drove in one as well. A quartet of players added multiple hit games. Besides the leading run producers, Angelica DeAngelo and Ogata also had two knocks.
- Hayley Jaquess went seven innings and allowed six runs on five hits. She walked five and struck out three.
UP NEXT
Dallas is at the friendly confines for the first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) home series on March 12-13. Trinity University is the opponent and Saturday's start time is 1 p.m.