CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Sagehens fell to #3 Linfield by an 1–11 final in game one and 3-11 in game two on Saturday at home.
Season Impact: With the losses, the Sagehens record is now to 2–5 overall and 1–2 in SCIAC play.
Game One
Sagehens 1, Wildcats 11
Gianna Phillips, Kylie Liu and Yuri Song each noted one hit in the game and Violet Burnham brought in the only Sagehen run.
The Sagehens struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Phillips doubled to right field and later came around to score on a fielder's choice from Burnham, giving the Sagehens an early 1–0 lead. Linfield answered with a four-run third inning, stringing together four hits, including back-to-back RBI doubles and a two-run homer to take a 4–1 advantage. The Wildcats added another run in the fourth capitalizing on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5–1. After a scoreless fifth from both sides, Linfield pushed its advantage to 6–1 in the sixth on an RBI single. The Wildcats broke the game open in the seventh, plating five runs on five hits, highlighted by a solo home run and multiple RBI extra-base hits to stretch the margin to 11–1. The Sagehens put runners on in the sixth and seventh innings, including singles from Song and Liu and a walk from Natalie Murguia, but were unable to generate additional offense as Linfield secured the 11–1 victory.
Game Two
Sagehens 3, Wildcats 11
Sophia Roberts led the way offensively going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, while Phillips also went 2-for-3 while Liu and Murguia each recorded a hit in the contest.
Linfield struck early, plating four runs in the top of the first inning behind three hits and a pair of RBI singles to take a 4–0 lead. The Wildcats added a solo home run in the second to extend the margin to 5–0. The Sagehens responded in the bottom of the second. Phillips singled up the middle and Roberts followed with a base hit to right. Burnham brought home Phillips on a fielder's choice to put the Sagehens on the board at 5–1. Linfield tacked on another run in the fourth on a passed ball before breaking the game open in the fifth with five runs on five hits, capitalizing on timely singles and a Sagehen error to push the lead to 11–1. The Sagehens showed life in the bottom of the fifth. Liu worked a walk, and Roberts delivered the big swing with a two-run home run to left field to cut the deficit to 11–3. Murguia later added a single, but the Sagehens were unable to generate further offense.
Up Next: The Sagehens head to Columbus, Georgia to play Saint Mary's University of Minnesota in the NFCA DIII Leadoff Classic Friday Mar. 6th. The first pitch is slated for 3:00 PM EST.
