LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Softball was in action on Thursday afternoon against the Carleton College Knights.
GAME 1, L 6-1
The Knights were able to get ahead early by hitting a two-run home run in the 1st inning, and adding a run in each of the next 3 innings.
In the 5th inning, Sam Palacio was hit by a pitch before Alysha Wagner doubled down the left field line to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Anna Kim would foul out to the right fielder, bringing home Palacio with a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers would drop game one of the day by a score of 6-1. Zada Day-Adams pitched all 7 innings in the game, striking out 5 batters.
GAME 2, L 2-1 - 8 innings
Game two of the day proved to be a pitcher's duel all the way to the end. Sam Alfaro was on a roll on the mound in the game for the Tigers.
After allowing a hit in the 1st inning, Alfaro retired 14 batters in a row before a batter reached first on a throwing error in the 6th inning.
The Tigers left runners in scoring position in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th innings as Oxy was getting on base with hits but the Carleton pitcher was making effective pitches under pressure to escape jams without surrendering a run.
The game would head into extra innings tied at 0-0. With a ghost runner placed at 2nd base in extra innings Carleton came up with a big 2 RBI double with two outs to take a 2-0 lead in the game.
Palacio was the ghost runner put on 2nd base in the bottom of the 8th for Oxy and she scored on an RBI sacrifice fly from Bella Harding after advancing to 3rd on a wild pitch.
Jordan Lebsock singled up the middle to get the tying run on base with only one out, but Carleton again made big pitches to escape the jam and secure a 2-1 victory in game two.
The Tigers played stellar defense all game, including a diving catch at shortstop by Alysha Wagner to end the 3rd inning, adding to Wagner's highlight reel of defensive gems this season. Ava Quezada also made a great play in center field.
Alfaro looked sharp on the mound and only allowed soft contact all game, totaling 8 innings pitched, allowing no earned runs on only two hits while striking out one. No runner reached 3rd base for the Knights until the 8th inning.
Oxy had eight hits in the game, three coming from Evelyn Lorch and two coming from Sydney Crespo.
