LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Black and Orange first completed a rain halted game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and then faced off again in a double header to complete the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season series. Oxy could not muster much offense this afternoon on Bell Field, after falling 14-4 to complete the first game, the Tigers were shutout in the doubleheader, falling 5-0 and 9-0 to the 17th ranked team in the country.
In game one of the doubleheader, the Tigers hung close behind a dazzling performance by Brittany Vacura, as she surrendered just two runs through the first four innings. But Oxy could not get anything going on offense, with both hits on the day credited to Tasha Serna-Gallegos, and then when the Athenas scored three in their half of the fifth, it was too much for the Black and Orange to overcome as they fell in the opener 5-0. Vacura finished with six strikeouts and allowed just one earned run.
In game two CMS came out firing, scoring five in the second to knock the Black and Orange on their heels, but the Tigers threatened in the bottom of the third. As Jacqueline Shimamoto started the inning off with a single, followed by a screamer down the right field line by Gabriela Chavez, but two outs later two Tigers were still on board when Jerika Barron was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Momentum seemed to be swinging back towards the home squad, but it was not meant to be as the next Oxy batter struck out swinging, and in the top half of the fourth CMS tacked on four more runs to build an almost insurmountable lead. Game two ended by a final score of 9-0 in favor of CMS (27-7, 14-4).
Oxy (15-13, 5-11) will be back in action tomorrow when they travel to Whittier College to face the Poets in another SCIAC doubleheader. First pitch is schedule for Noon.
