Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Occidental College

Softball

Garland, Vacura dominate as Oxy wins fifth straight

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
By Michael Wells
Sports Information Director
 

LOS ANGELES — Oxy starting pitcher Brittany Vacura (Elk Grove) didn't allow an earned run in Game 1, Amber Garland (Torrance) threw her first career complete-game shutout in Game 2, and the Occidental College softball team extended its winning streak to five games with a pair of victories over Stevens Institute of Technology at Bell Field on Tuesday.

"(Vacura and Garland) were awesome in the circle," Occidental coach Ali Haehnel said. "They were hitting their spots perfectly, controlling the pace of the game and just being great leaders."

Vacura, who struck out seven and gave up just four hits in six innings pitched, improved to 6-5 and lowered her ERA to 1.78.

Garland, a junior, followed her lead in the second game, blanking an opponent for the first time in her career.

"I'm proud of Amber. She's worked really hard this year to improve her ability to hit her spots and make the ball move, and she's doing an excellent job of that right now," Haehnel said. "We're really confident in her ability to stay tough throughout the entire game."

Jacqueline Shimamoto (Santa Clarita), Oxy's star center fielder who's hitting .500 this season, had another outstanding day, going 4 for 7 with three RBIs and two runs scored. The junior is 8 for her last 14.

Oxy (11-9) shortstop Jerika Barron (Half Moon Bay) also was a standout performer for the Tigers, going 4 for 7 with a double and four RBIs. In the sixth inning of Game 2, she made a diving stop on a groundball to her left and nearly threw out the runner at first for what would have been the play of the day, but her throw pulled Morgan Giusti (Millbrae) off of first base by just inches.

Game 1: Occidental 9, Stevens Institute 1 (5.1 innings)

Oxy strung together seven hits and capitalized on three errors to score eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and beat the Ducks (0-6).

Ashley Noone (Orange) drove in Shimamoto with a single to center, snapping a 1-1 tie in what was a tight pitchers' duel up until that point.

Then the Oxy bats got hot and Ducks' gloves got sloppy.

With runners on first and second, Kristine Kocjan (Redwood City) singled to right field to bring home Meghan Luera (Pasadena) from second. As the ball snuck past the Ducks' outfield and went all the way to the wall, Noone crossed the plate and Kocjan made the full trip around the bases to score on a play that felt like an inside-the-park home run.

Barron drove in two more with a single, Julia Nicholson (Upland) brought in Barron with a double, and Nicholson ended the game when she crossed the plate on a fielding error at short.

"We were hitting the ball hard the whole game, but just right at people," Haehnel said. "We broke out in the sixth and starting hitting the gaps. I liked our approach all day and it just proves when you take an aggressive approach, you're going to make things happen."

Game 2: Occidental 6, Stevens Institute 0

The Tigers rallied for five runs in the second inning and added one more in the sixth to beat the Ducks in Game 2.

Barron went the other way with a pitch to get Oxy on the board in the second with a two-run double to left that scored Nicholson and Giusti. Shimamoto followed it with a two-RBI single, scoring Ali Goldberg (Los Altos) and Barron, and then Noone capped off the rally with an RBI single to bring home Shimamoto and give Oxy a 5-0 lead.

Shimamoto hit a triple that scored Goldberg again in the sixth for Oxy's sixth run.

Oxy returns to SCIAC play on Friday at Chapman for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jerika Barron

#13 Jerika Barron

SS
5' 5"
Junior
Amber Garland

#15 Amber Garland

P
5' 5"
Junior
Morgan Giusti

#16 Morgan Giusti

1B
5' 6"
First Year
Ali Goldberg

#12 Ali Goldberg

P/OF
5' 6"
First Year
Kristine Kocjan

#11 Kristine Kocjan

C
5' 7"
Sophomore
Meghan Luera

#21 Meghan Luera

UTIL
5' 6"
Junior
Julia Nicholson

#10 Julia Nicholson

OF
5' 6"
Senior
Ashley Noone

#2 Ashley Noone

C
5' 6"
Senior
Jacqueline Shimamoto

#32 Jacqueline Shimamoto

OF
5' 3"
Junior
Brittany Vacura

#22 Brittany Vacura

P
5' 6"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Jerika Barron

#13 Jerika Barron

5' 5"
Junior
SS
Amber Garland

#15 Amber Garland

5' 5"
Junior
P
Morgan Giusti

#16 Morgan Giusti

5' 6"
First Year
1B
Ali Goldberg

#12 Ali Goldberg

5' 6"
First Year
P/OF
Kristine Kocjan

#11 Kristine Kocjan

5' 7"
Sophomore
C
Meghan Luera

#21 Meghan Luera

5' 6"
Junior
UTIL
Julia Nicholson

#10 Julia Nicholson

5' 6"
Senior
OF
Ashley Noone

#2 Ashley Noone

5' 6"
Senior
C
Jacqueline Shimamoto

#32 Jacqueline Shimamoto

5' 3"
Junior
OF
Brittany Vacura

#22 Brittany Vacura

5' 6"
Senior
P