Claremont, Calif. (April 16, 2012) — This week in Sagehen Athletics was a big one for several Pitzer seniors, as the two seniors on the Women’s Water Polo team helped the Sagehens stay No. 1 in Division III and undefeated in the SCIAC, while the three seniors on the Softball team clinched the first SCIAC Tournament of their careers.
The Softball team needed just one win this week out of four to secure a trip to the SCIAC Tournament, but the team that had made a habit of winning in dramatic fashion all season long had the tables turned on Saturday, falling twice to Whittier in extra innings. Seniors Bri Marcantoni ’12 and Emily Buika ’12 hit extra-inning home runs to help the Sagehen cause, with Buika’s first career homer tying the nightcap 4-4 in the eighth inning. However, Whittier prevailed 9-8 in nine innings and 5-4 in 10 innings to postpone Pitzer-Pomona’s invitation to the postseason.
The next day against La Verne, the Sagehens dropped the opener 5-3 and trailed 2-0 heading into the seventh inning, looking like they may have to try again next weekend for their SCIAC-clinching win. However, with their backs against the wall, Ari Roach ’12 helped set the table with a clutch single, and a two-run double from Caitlyn Hynes PO ’14 gave the Sagehens a 3-2 lead, which held up as the team clinched its first SCIAC berth since 2008. Ashley Morello ’15 also was 3-for-4 in the opening game against La Verne, while Shannon Julius ’14 was 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Women’s Water Polo entered the week with a target on its back as the No. 1 team in Division III and faced tough home contests against La Verne and Cal Lutheran, as well as a non-conference game with Azusa Pacific. In both SCIAC matches, the Sagehens let big second half leads slip away, but regrouped under pressure to win in overtime. Against La Verne, the Leopards scored four unanswered goals to turn a 5-2 lead into a 6-5 deficit late in the match, but Alyssa Woodward ’15 tied the score with less than two minutes to play and then scored twice in overtime to lead the Sagehens to the 9-6 win.
The Cal Lutheran match was a battle between two teams that came into the week tied for first in the SCIAC, although Cal Lutheran fell to Occidental early in the week and needed a win to get back into a first-place tie. Pitzer-Pomona led 7-3 early in the second half, behind two goals from Anna Oxborough-Yankus ’12, before the Regals stormed back with four unanswered goals to tie the score 7-7 with 10 seconds left in regulation. However, Perri Hopkins ’12 broke the tie in overtime for the game-winner, her second goal of the day, as the Sagehens improved to 16-16 overall, 5-0 in the SCIAC and 10-0 in Division III. Pitzer-Pomona has its final home game of the season on Wednesday at 7 p.m. against CMS.
The Pitzer-Pomona Baseball team had a nine-run eighth inning, all of which came with two outs, to defeat Cal Lutheran 15-7 on Sunday for its 20th win of the season. Erik Munzer ’13 was 4-for-5 at the plate with four stolen bases, including a two-run single in the eighth inning. E.J. Lopez ’15 had two RBI and two runs scored as well, while Stuart Gano ’13 had a strong outing on the mound but took a no decision.
Leslie Canter ’12 broke a school record at the Pitzer-Pomona Track and Field Invitational with an 11:41.73 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, finishing sixth overall at the event (which featured runners from all divisions as well as post-graduate competitors). On the men’s side, Greg Hook ’14 won his heat in the 400 meters with a personal-best 49.52 to come in third, while five different Sagehens set personal bests in the 5000 meters, led by Alex Johnson ’13, who finished with a 15:10.89.
Women’s Tennis bounced back from its first conference loss of the season to CMS on Saturday by defeating Chapman 6-3 on Sunday, taking five of six singles matches. Emily Kawahara ’12 won her singles match in convincing fashion to recover from a tough 9-7 loss in doubles. On the men’s side, the Sagehens took a 9-0 win over Caltech on Saturday morning, but fell 7-2 to CMS in the evening, although Max Sabel ’13 and Frankie Allinson PO ’13 had a big win at No. 1 doubles. Michael Chang ’15 stepped into the doubles line-up against Caltech and earned a win. Both tennis teams face Redlands on Sunday, with the women playing at home at Pauley Courts at noon and the men traveling to Redlands.
