REDLANDS, Calif. – The Whitworth softball team opened the 2015 season with a split against traditional Southern California powerhouse University of Redlands today at the Bulldog's Field of Dreams.

The visiting Pirates won the opener 3-1 behind the solid opening-day effort of sophomore pitcher Madi Perez.  Redlands won the nightcap 3-2, holding off a strong seventh-inning rally by Whitworth. 

Whitworth will continue its season-opening swing through Southern California with a double header at Pomona-Pitzer on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 pm.

Game 1 – Whitworth 3, Redlands 1
Perez threw a complete-game seven hitter to pick up her first victory of 2015.  She allowed a run in the bottom of the first inning then blanked the Bulldogs the rest of the way, leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Freshman Chelsey Hayes tripled leading off the top of the first inning in her first career at-bat.  She eventually scored on Peyton McMahon's sacrifice fly later in the inning.

Redlands tied the game in the bottom of the first on Vicki King's RBI double. 

Perez and Redlands' starter Lauren Henson traded zeros for the next three innings.  Then Shannon Wessel came through with a two-run double, driving in Alyssa Hall and Tessa Matthews in the top of the fifth inning.

Perez worked out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth after giving up a lead-off double.  She got one of her two strikeouts in that inning.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh.  But Perez struck out Olivia Vierra and got AJ Carrasco to fly out to left field to end the threat.

Hall, Kelsey Stroshine and Kayla Batastini all had two hits apiece as the Pirates outhit the Bulldogs 10-7.

Game 2 – Redlands 3, Whitworth 2
Amanda Lievanos hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning and the Bulldogs held off a furious Whitworth rally in the bottom of the seventh to come away with a split, despite the fact that the Pirates with an 8-4 edge in hits.

The Leivanos home run came with one out in the third off of Pirate pitcher Megan Fisher.

Whitworth had at least one hit in each inning from the second through the sixth, but could not break through against Redlands starter Courtney Ludlow.   But the Pirates almost came all the way back in the seventh.  Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out.  McMahon drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Hayes with the first run.  Sacha Clow followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Hall.  Stroshine made solid contact in the next at-bat, but her ball fell into the glove of the left fielder for the final out.

Wessel, Stroshine and Batastini all had two hits in the game.

Fisher took the loss in the circle after allowing three runs on three hits over the first 3.1 innings.  Makayla Lefever pitched 2.1 innings of relief.  Ludlow went the distance for Redlands.