ORANGE, Calif. – Rose Malen was perfect through five and Morgan Lastinger hit two RBI singles as the Chapman University softball team took the series opener 3-1 over visiting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. With the win, the Panthers locked up second place in the SCIAC standings.

Lastinger's RBI singles came in the third and fifth innings to pad the Chapman lead. Her first hit gave Chapman the 2-0 lead after Jojo Westerfield put the Panthers on top. With the bases loaded, a hard hit grounder to the right side resulted in a fielder's choice but gave Miranda Murphy enough time to sprint home for a 1-0 lead.

Lastinger dropped both hits into right field to put the Panthers up 3-0. That 3-0 lead seemed nearly insurmountable at the time as Malen cruised through the first five innings. She retired the first 15 batters in order while the offense built the 3-0 lead.

A leadoff double in the sixth, ended the chance at perfection. A sacrifice bunt and a single ended the shutout but Malen allowed just four hits in the final two innings – the double and three bloop singles into center. She struck out six and did not issue a walk in the complete game victory.

The Panthers head into the SCIAC Tournament at least in second place. Chapman and CMS finish the regular season tomorrow with a doubleheader tomorrow in Claremont. If Chapman sweeps and Redlands is swept by Cal Lutheran, the Panthers would be the top seed in next week's tournament. Any Chapman loss or Redlands win clinches the regular season title for the Bulldogs.