March 28, 2008

La Verne Sweeps Twinbill From Pacific Lutheran

Game One
Game Two

LA VERNE, Calif. – La Verne scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game to wrap up a softball doubleheader sweep of Pacific Lutheran on Friday afternoon.

The Leopards won the games, 5-1 and 9-8, to improve their record to 14-10. PLU is now 11-11 this season and concludes its California spring break trip with a Saturday doubleheader at Redlands.

Pacific Lutheran managed just six hits in the opening game, scoring its only run when Heather Walling singled, stole second and scored on Lisa Gilbert's base hit. Walling had a pair of hits for the Lutes in the first game.

La Verne raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second game before the Lutes rallied to tie the game at 7-7 in the top of the seventh inning. PLU scored twice in the fourth inning, the first run coming on a double by Walling, followed by Gilbert's run-scoring single. Gilbert was thrown out trying to advance to second base and that out proved important when Stephanie Mullen and Brittney Weissenbuehler followed with consecutive doubles.

PLU added five runs in the fifth inning, the first coming on Sheila Reiten's RBI single and the other four on a grand slam by Mullen. The homer was Mullen's second of the season. The Lutes knotted the score at 7-7 with a run in the top of the seventh. Weissenbuehler reached base on a single and was replaced by pinch runner Shelby Johnston, who came around on Carly Starke's two-out double.

La Verne won the game in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out single.

Hadley Schmitt was the losing pitcher in both games, giving up seven hits and five runs, only three earned, in the opener. She was PLU's third pitcher in the second game and gave up the winning run.

The Lutes ripped 13 hits in the second game, with Gilbert, Mullen, Weissenbuehler, Starke and Caitlin Brown all getting two apiece.

- PLU -