LA VERNE, Calif. – Whitworth softball finished its opening weekend in California with a third straight split, as they beat La Verne 7-0 before falling short 7-5 in game two of Sunday's doubleheader.
The Pirates (3-3) split all three series in their out of state road trip, they will be on the road once again for a four-game series against Eastern Oregon next weekend before hosting Linfield in the conference opener on March 9-10.
Game 1— Whitworth 7, La Verne 0
Corinne Vasiloff pitched a complete-game shutout allowing just five hits and striking out four, Haley Montoya went 3-3 with a walk at the plate, and the Pirates dominated the Leopards 7-0.
Vasiloff is 2-1 on the mound this season with an ERA of 2.33, and she suffocated La Verne's offense in its season opener.
The Pirates set the tone early as Taylor Hofheins put the ball in play scoring Montoya on a fielders choice, Jazz Johnson singled up the middle to score Julia Dillon and Whitworth led 2-0 in the first.
Whitworth tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning on a single from Ellis and a pair of sacrifice flies from Dillon and Montoya. Reagan Ellis doubled in the sixth to put Whitworth up 6-0, she's accounted for a pair of RBI's in each of the last two games.
Alayna Munoz (0-1) was handed the loss on the mound; she was replaced by Kirstin Sanchez on the mound in the fifth inning.
Game 2 – La Verne 7, Whitworth 5
Jessica Rusconi knocked in a pair of RBIs and the Pirate offense scored five runs in the final three innings in a rally attempt, but Kirstin Sanchez held it down on the mound to get La Verne its first win of the season.
Momi Lyman (1-2) pitched four innings and gave up just two earned runs but was credited with her second loss of the season as the Pirates fell behind early.
The Leopards (1-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to some crucial errors from the Pirates. Montoya's error scored Sydney Diaz, Lyman threw a wild pitch that scored Erika Garcia, and Whitworth found themselves in an early hole.
Trailing 4-0 in the fifth Rusconi picked up a pair of RBIs with a double to left to cap a three-run inning for Whitworth which brought them within a run. Marissa Acosta delivered a huge single in the bottom of the sixth to score two runs and give the Leopards a 7-3 cushion with an inning to play.
The Pirates managed a pair of unearned runs in the seventh as Ellis reached base on an error and later scored on Hofheins' single, Dillon stole home on a throw to second to cut the deficit to 7-5 but the rally was snuffed out there.
