ORANGE, Calif — The Chapman softball team split a crucial double header on Saturday, Apr. 23 with a 6-4 loss in game one and 8-6 win in game two, all while Simi Lauwers collected the 100th strikeout of her career.

Game One — L, 6-4

The Panthers led for the majority of game one after some impressive middle-inning offense giving them a 4-2 lead.

After a pair of runners reached via error to lead off the fourth inning, Julia Muniz smacked a double deep into the left center field gap. She drove in Chill Serna and Morgan Lastinger to take a 3-2 at that point. The following batter, Rani Lauwers, drove in Muniz with a single.

Whittier clawed back to enter the seventh with a one-run deficit, and some unfortunate bounces allowed the Poets to scrape across three runs in the inning. Simi Lauwers pitched all seven innings striking out three allowing six runs, only five were earned.

Game Two — W, 8-6

Following four straight losses, the Panthers longest drought of the season, Chapman was able to get back into its winning ways. 

The offense came alive in this one smacking 12 hits along with a 4-for-4 day from Miranda Murphy who scored four of the Panthers' runs.

After falling behind initially, 1-0 in the first inning, Chapman answered right back, scoring in the bottom half. Murphy led off with a double and upon reaching third was driven in by Lastinger on a ground out.

The Panthers tacked on one more in the third and three more in the fourth. The scoring got started when pinch runner Peyton Mattson scored on an errand throw by the catcher on a back-pick attempt at third base. A Tracie Okumura single and Chill Serna double later brought the Panthers to a 5-2 lead.

Whittier tallied two in the sixth bringing the Panther lead down to just one, but Chapman padded its lead in the bottom of the sixth with a Murphy RBI triple to dead center, another Okumura RBI single and a Serna RBI groundout.

Whittier's two runs in the seventh were not enough to keep Jillian Kelly from grabbing her 12th win of the season, tied for second in SCIAC. Kelly struck out five and only allowed three earned runs in the victory.

With the split the Panthers are able to stay above Whittier in the SCIAC, but fell to fourth place with a record of 23-10 on the season and 11-7 in SCIAC play.

The Panthers take on the third place La Verne Leopards next weekend in a three game set to determine the SCIAC playoff bracket.

By Joe Perrino

Assistant SID / Recreation Sports Manager

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