ORANGE, Calif. – Twelve shutout innings by the Chapman University softball pitching staff, along with some timely hitting gave the Panthers a SCIAC doubleheader sweep 3-0 and 9-0 over visiting Occidental College on Friday afternoon at Hart Park. The second win gives Chapman head coach Janet Lloyd 534 career victories tying her with her father Lisle as the all-time winningest coaches in school history.

Game 1: Chapman 3, Occidental 0

Sophomore RHP Cassie Oregel tied a season-high with six strikeouts on her way to a three-hit shutout over the Tigers, improving her overall record to 7-1. It was the right-hander's fifth straight win and second consecutive shutout while running her scoreless innings streak to 27 in a row – seven shy of the Chapman record. The only threat the Tigers could muster came in the second inning when Oxy C Ashley Noone led off with a double and moved to third on a Panther error, but was left stranded.

Chapman got on the board right away in the first inning as senior OF Jenny Richards and freshman OF Amy Serven led off with back-to-back singles, followed by an RBI hit from senior SS Brittany Furlong to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

The Panthers led by the same score in the fifth when Richards and Serven set the table again with back-to-back singles to begin the frame. After a sacrifice bunt by Furlong, senior 1B Stephanie Engle delivered a two-run double to give Chapman some insurance. Richards finished 3-for-4 with a pair of runs.

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2012-13/boxscores/20130315_bn8r.xml

Game 2: Chapman 9, Occidental 0

Chapman (16-2 overall, 11-1 SCIAC) did all of its scoring in the first inning, sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs on seven hits before the dust settled. The Panthers benefited from a pair of Occidental (11-11 overall, 2-8 SCIAC) errors to score eight unearned runs. All nine Chapman starters scored a run and Richards had two hits – a single and an RBI triple – in the inning. The senior currently leads the Panthers with a .483 batting average.

The run support was plenty for Panther freshman RHP Natalie Both who earned the win with just three innings of two-hit ball, earning four strikeouts. The rookie right-hander remained unbeaten at a perfect 7-0 this season.

Junior SS Kyla Javier went 2-for-3 and senior OF Jojo Wakabayashi came off the bench to hit a double in the third inning.

The win improved Lloyd's head coaching record to 534-241 (.689) to tie her with Lisle Lloyd on Chapman's all-time wins list. The Panthers will try to get her the record on Saturday as they travel to the University of Redlands for a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.

Chapman remains in sole possession of first place in the SCIAC standings, ahead of No. 11 Redlands.

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/sball/2012-13/boxscores/20130315_3ytu.xml

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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