CLAREMONT, Calif. – Visiting Whitworth split a pair of extra inning softball games at Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday, losing the first game 2-1 in ten innings but winning the nightcap 4-2 in eight frames.
Whitworth remained even at 2-2 this season, while Pomona-Pitzer is 3-5. The Pirates conclude their season-opening trip to Southern California with a doubleheader on Sunday at La Verne.
Game 1: La Verne 2, Whitworth 1 (10 inn.)
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning and it went five more before the Sagehens got a bases-loaded walk for the winning run.
The Pirates' Momi Lyman and the Sagehens' Devin Waddell were locked in a pitchers' dual throughout the game. Pomona-Pitzer scored the first run on Kylie Liu's solo homer in the sixth. Whitworth tied the game in the seventh on Taylor Hofheins' RBI double.
Neither team scored through the first two extra innings, despite starting with a runner on second base. The Sagehen's loaded the bases with an infield single and two walks. Natalie Marguia drew a final walk to force in the winning run.
Mattea Nelson was the only Pirate with more than one hit in the game.
Lyman went 8.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits and six walks. Kaleigh Bauerle (0-1) tossed the final 1.1 innings and took the loss after allowing a run on one hit and three walks.
Waddell (1-0) went the distance for Pomona-Pitzer, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over ten innings.
Game 2: Whitworth 4, Pomona-Pitzer 2 (8 inn.)
The Pirates scored three runs in the top of the eighth to earn the split with the Sagehens.
Haley Montoya drilled her first homer of the season in the third inning to give Whitworth a 1-0 lead. Pomona tied the game in the fifth on Emily Hurtado's solo home run.
The game remained tied 1-1 until the eighth. The Pirates took advantage of two Sagehen errors. Kylie Koszykowski drove in the third run of the rally with an RBI double.
Pomona-Pitzer got its final run when Natalie Murguia scored from third as Whitworth got an attempted base-stealer at second.
Corinne Vasiloff (2-0) went the distance for Whitworth, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk. She struck out six batters.
Erika Rivera also went the distance for the Sagehens and allowed four runs (one earned) on eight hits and two walks.