LA VERNE, CALIF. (April 24, 2010) – For the final time, three seniors donned the Black and Orange of Occidental College while the team took the field for the last time in 2010. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the University of La Verne cut things short in the first game, handing Oxy a five-inning 12-3 loss before the Leopards doubled up on the Tigers 4-2 in the season finale.
ULV jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and added five in the second inning of game one when senior shortstop Ashley Paul connected for a grand slam to put the Leopards up big early. The deficit was too much for the Tigers to recover from although they did string together a four-hit, three run inning in the third to cut the Leos lead in half at 6-3.
Kristin Sullivan drove in the first run of the game, Alyssa Smith, with an infield single before freshman Julia Nicholson plated a both Ashley Noone and Sullivan with a two-out double.
The Leopards scored six more runs over the final two and a half innings while Oxy was unable to take advantage of a bases-loaded fourth inning.
Shanna Yackel was tagged with the loss after lasting just 2.0 innings.
In game two, La Verne again drew first blood. Paul hit a two-out two-RBI double to get the Leopards on the board.
Occidental chipped away with runs in the fifth and sixth innings to knot it up at 2-2. The first run came via homerun off the bat of Patricia Phillimeano to lead off the fifth. In the sixth, Sullivan doubled with two down and came around when Nicholson made it back-to-back doubles.
A long ball again hurt the Tigers as ULV's catcher Daryn Schivley launched a walk-off two-run homerun as she finished the afternoon 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs. ULV advances to the 2010 SCIAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed.
In her final collegiate game Kimi Elguea scattered five hits, allowing two runs in 3.0 innings in the circle. Smith reached via walk in game two after reaching and scoring on a fielder's choice in the first contest. Alyssa Escalante walked and was hit twice in the two games and was stranded at third in the first game of the afternoon.
Escalante finishes the season with a .356 batting average after collecting a team-leading 32 hits, driving in seven and scoring 11 times. Smith concluded her senior season batting at a .260 clip with 25 hits, a team-high 12 RBIs and scored 10 times. Elguea tossed 30.2 innings, striking out 12.
Overall Occidental finishes the season 8-24 with a 5-19 SCIAC mark. The Tigers won six of their games at home on Bell Field.
Article by: Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director
