ORANGE, Calif. – Fresh off a 4-0 start to the season, the Haverford College softball team (4-2) opened its spring break stint in Southern California against a formidable Chapman (10-2) squad out of the SCIAC. The host Panthers swept the doubleheader, which was moved to the morning due to the threat of wet weather in Orange County, taking the first game 9-1 in six innings before holding off a Haverford comeback bid in the second, 10-6.
Game 1: Chapman 9, Haverford 1 (6 innings)
The Panthers struck early, plating a run in the first inning against Rachel McQueen on an RBI hit before a four-run rally in the second. Miranda Murphy's RBI triple was the key hit in the frame, while two more runs scored on wild pitches.
Lauren Lamme entered in relief of McQueen, keeping Chapman at bay until the bottom of the sixth, when Serna's two-run double pushed the Panthers' lead to 8-1. Jordan Westerfield followed with a walk-off RBI single, enforcing the eight-run rule and ending the game after six innings.
Haverford's lone run came in the top of the sixth when Jocelyn Leal doubled, advanced to third on a Mia Kessinger groundout, and scored on a wild pitch.
Rose Malen was dominant in the circle for Chapman, striking out eight while walking just one. She scattered five hits and allowed one run in a complete-game effort.
Game 2: Chapman 10, Haverford 6
Chapman jumped ahead early, scoring three runs in the first inning against Haverford sophomore Clarissa Smith. Four walks and an error helped the Panthers build an early cushion.
Haverford answered with two runs in the top of the second. Kamaha'o Bode singled to right, followed by a Kyra Van Denburgh single, and both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Addie Sapirstein drove in a run with a groundout, and Abby Litchfield reached on an error that plated another, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Chapman responded in the bottom half, scoring three runs without recording a hit to extend its lead to 6-2. Mia Reyes added an RBI single in the third, pushing the advantage to 7-2.
Haverford battled back in the fifth. With one out, Kessinger singled before Bode launched a towering two-run homer, her third of the season, narrowing the gap to 7-4.
The Panthers tacked on insurance runs in the fifth and sixth. Samantha Kennedy notched an RBI triple and later scored on an error, while Lauren Martin responded for the Fords, as she added a sacrifice fly in the sixth after Grace Stowe walked and Maddie Etheridge doubled. Kristy Kitabayashi restored Chapman's five-run lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh, Kyra Van Denburgh provided a spark with an inside-the-park home run, electrifying the Haverford dugout. However, Estrella Perez closed out the win in the circle for the Panthers.
The middle of Haverford's lineup produced well against Chapman, with Leal, Kessinger, Bode, and Van Denburgh all collecting multiple hits. Kaleigh Bodak was effective in relief, tossing the majority of the game while allowing just four hits and two earned runs, striking out two.
Haverford continues its California trip Tuesday, traveling to Occidental for a doubleheader in Eagle Rock. First pitch is slated for noon PT (3 p.m. ET), with the second game to follow at approximately 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET).
