LA VERNE, Calif. – The bats came to life as the Chapman University softball team defeated Brandeis 9-1 in six innings. The run-rule victory moved the Panthers to 2-3 on the season.

Jojo Westerfield hit the first home run of her Chapman career and ended the game with three RBIs. Samantha Kennedy went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as well.
The Panthers jumped on top early with a Westerfield solo homer in the first. The gates opened in the second when the Panthers put two on the base paths with one out. An error, a single and back-to-back doubles from Westerfield and Ilianna Serna brought home five runs for a 6-0 Chapman lead. Kennedy later grounded a two-out single up the middle to score Serna and make it 7-0.

Simi Lauwers worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second with back-to-back strikeouts. She cruised through the next two innings before giving way to Jillian Kelly in the fifth. Lauwers ended her day for 4.1 scoreless innings and struck out five. Kelly struck out a pair over the final 1.2 innings, striking out a pair and allowing one run on a pair of hits.

A run-scoring double from Mo Lynch in the sixth was followed by a game-clinching single from Kennedy to end the game with the run-rule victory.

The Panthers are scheduled to return to El Camino Park on Sunday for a doubleheader against Pacific Lutheran. First pitch is schedule for 11 a.m.