LOS ANGELES — The Occidental College softball team dropped both frames of a Saturday doubleheader to Whittier at Bell Field, improving upon a 12-0 defeat in five innings in Game 1 to narrowly surrendering Game 2 by just three runs, 4-1.  

The Tigers fall to 4-28 (1-19 SCIAC) on the season, while Whittier moves to 22-10 (12-8 SCIAC).

The doubleheader marked the second meeting of the season between Jacqueline Shimamoto and younger sister Emi Shimamoto. Both tallied hits on the day and started in center field, with Jacqueline making a diving grab in Game 2 that saved an extra-base hit.

Alex Flores, Sam Blum and Courtney DeLano all tallied four hits on the day for the Poets, as DeLano recorded complete-game victories in the circle in both contests, allowing no earned runs off five hits and striking out seven through 12 innings of work.

Morgan Giusti, Meghan Luera, Shimamoto, Jerika Barron and Tiareh Cruz each registered a base hit for Oxy.

Game 1: Whittier 12, Occidental 0 (5 innings)

Whittier utilized the big inning — posting five in the first inning, four in the third and three in the fourth — en route to shutting out the Tigers.

Blum led the way for the Poets, going 3-for-3 with two runs and a pair of RBI, and Jordan Learn busted the contest open in the top of the first with a 3-RBI double to left field that scored Mercedez Cundiff, Sam Mellano and Flores.

Flores (2-for-4, two runs), Shimamoto (2-for-2, three RBI), Learn (2-for-3, two runs, three RBI) and DeLano (2-for-3, two runs, one RBI) all produced multi-hit games, with DeLano taking Oxy starter Emily Pham deep for a solo shot in the top of the third.

Pham lasted just 2.1 innings in the circle after giving up seven earned runs off seven hits and walking five. Amber Garland came on in relief, going the final 2.2 innings in which she walked four and scattered six hits for four earned runs.

Occidental never moved a runner past second base, leaving Shimamoto (1-for-1, walk), Barron (1-for-2) and Cruz (1-for-2) all stranded after their respective singles.

Game 2: Whittier 4, Occidental 1

DeLano again dealt lights-out softball from the circle, letting only Giusti (1-for-3, one run) and Luera (1-for-3) into the hits column.

Whittier struck first for the second straight time, getting on the scoreboard on a Mellano sacrifice fly that plated Flores. Flores then had a big hit of her own in the top of the second, clearing the bases with a double that brought across Blum, Learn and Cundiff.

The Tigers' only run came in the bottom of the same inning when DeLano committed a fielding error on a Cruz shot back up the box that allowed Giusti to score unearned from third.

After the second, both teams settled in to play a clean and scoreless game the rest of the way.

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