CLAREMONT, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer softball team split with Carleton College 8-2 in the first game and won 9-1 in the second game at home.
Season Impact: With the split, the Sagehens are 13-5 overall and 4-2 in SCIAC conference play.
Game 1:
Jiselle Nguyen and Violet Burnham both had a multi hit game going 2-for-4. Brooke Bullis launched her first home run of the season with three RBIs. Devin Waddell started in the circle for the Sagehens and pitched 4.1 innings giving up six hits and striking out two. Mia Lopez came in to pitched for 2.2 innings and notched three strikeouts.
A five-run fifth inning fueled Carleton to an 8-5 comeback victory over the Sagehens, as the Knights capitalized on defensive errors and timely hitting to erase an early deficit.
The score remained 0–0 until the Sagehens jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. E Hurtado got walked and was moved to second base off of a single up the middle by Burnham. This set the stage for Bullis who launched a three-run home run, scoring Emily Hurtado and Burnham. The Sagehns extended their lead to 5-1 in the third after an RBI fielder's choice from Hurtado and a sacrifice fly by Burnham. Trailing 5-2 entering the top of the fifth, the Knights erupted for five runs. By the end of the inning, Carleton had flipped the script to take a 7-5 lead and took advantage of three Sagehen errors. The Knights added a solo home run in the sixth to extend the Knights' lead to 8-5. From there, Carleton's pitching staff shut down the Sagehen offense, stranding two runners in both the fifth and sixth innings. A clean seventh sealed the victory as the Sagehens were retired in order.
Game 2:
Jiselle Nguyen and Summer Gibson were the only Sagehens to have a multi hit game. Nguyen went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI and Gibson went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Devin Waddell also had two RBIs. Nyla Springer pitched all five innings for the Sagehens, allowing four hits, striking out five.
Carleton struck first in the opening frame, scoring one making the score 1-0 til the bottom of the third inning. The Sagehens managed to take the lead back when Nguyen got things started with a double down the left field line. Bella Carreon got hit by a pitch and Waddell followed with a single to left center making the bases loaded for Kylie Liu who hit an RBI single before taking a 2-1 lead on a sacrifice fly by Emily Hurtado. The Sagehens added two more in the fourth, sparked by Gibson's RBI triple and a sac fly from Nguyen to make it 4-1.
The game broke open in the bottom of the fifth.The Sagehens capitalized on walks, a hit-by-pitch, and an error to push across five runs. RBI contributions from Brooke Bullis, Morgan Groves, and Gibson helped extend the lead, while a costly miscue in center field allowed two more runs to score. The Knight's offense stalled after the first inning, recording only two hits the rest of the way. Springer's pitching and the Sagehens' defense kept the Knights in check, stranding five runners over the final four innings. The Sagehens won in five innings, 9-1.
Up Next: The Sagehens will take on St. Olaf College at home for a double-header on Friday (3/28). First pitch is scheduled at 12:00 p.m. PT.
