Softball enjoys winning, earns 2nd in tournament
Campus Times
March 12, 1999
The winds of the Bay Area felt good to the University of La Verne softball
team, as it managed its way to the championship game of the Peninsula Classic
in San Francisco.
The Leopards traveled north and ended the tournament in second place
after losing to Oregon Tech, 2-1.
"When you go to a tournament you always plan on competing for the
championship," said head coach Julie Kline.
The Leopards had beaten Oregon Tech, which is ranked No. 11 in the nation,
earlier in the tournament.
"It was hard to lose to them because we had already seen what they
had," said senior first baseman Jennifer Guerrero. "We should
have been able to beat them again."
La Verne finished with a record of 5-1.
In the tournament, the Leopards scored 57 runs and allowed only four.
Four of its five wins were shutouts.
"We know if we play tough we can get a lot of runs and hold the
other teams from scoring," said Guerrero.
The team's first victim was, precisely, the eventual champion, Oregon
Tech, beating it 2-0.
Then, Simpson College surrended to the Leopards, 7-0.
College of Notre Dame also tasted the sour flavor of losing, as the
Leopards defeated it twice 18-2 and 9-0.
Freshman pitcher Lacey Cramer had a perfect game against Patten College.
La Verne won, 20-0.
"We have a good team when we play at our potential," said
Kline. She qualified her team's performance as "good, with the ability
to be a lot better."
Kline also said the team improved in "intensity and an understanding
of what it takes to win."
However, she pointed out they lack on execution at the plate.
"We decided to hit a little too late," she said.
Two Leopards made the All-Tournament team. Senior second/first baseman
Sophia Garcia and sophomore pitcher/third baseman Robin Haaker.
Garcia's batting average was .647, as she went 11-of-17, stole two bases
and was perfect from the field.
Haaker went 11-of-21 at the plate for a .524 batting average, scored
eight runs, drove in six RBI and stole half a dozen bases in the same number
of attempts.
Next week, the Leopards will take part in the Chapman Tournament.
"We are going to find out whether we can compete at the national
level or not," Kline said.
"[There will be] a lot tougher teams and a lot more competition,"
said Guerrero.
The Leopards play tomorrow in a Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader against Cal Lutheran in Thousand
Oaks at noon, their third conference matchup of the season.
"If we hit as we did this week, then we'll do good," Guerrero
said. "If we keep playing hard, we can beat anybody."
