Sagehen Update for the Week of March 23, 2015

2015-03-30-softball-Ashley Morello
Ashley Morello ’15 had six hits to help the Sagehens Softball team to a doubleheader sweep of SCIAC-leading Whittier.

Claremont, CA (March 30, 2015) This week in Sagehens Athletics saw Men’s Tennis jump to No. 4 in the national rankings after racking up five wins (four over nationally ranked teams),  while the Softball team swept two games from league-leading Whittier.

Men’s  Tennis had to fight hard to maintain its lofty status, with three of its five wins coming down to the wire and 5-4 scores (over No. 3 Middlebury, No. 13 Chicago and No. 21 UC Santa Cruz). The team also earned a close 6-3 victory over No. 14 Williams.

The most dramatic of the matches came against Chicago on Thursday, as the Sagehens were pushed to the brink before Graham Maassen ’17 (pictured), battling hot temperatures in a match that lasted almost three hours, prevailed 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 by winning the third set tiebreaker 12-10 after fighting off four match points. Jacob Yasgoor ’17 also won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, improving to 3-0 on the week and to 14-3 on the season.  Yasgoor also won 6-3, 6-1 against Middlebury, with Maassen adding a three-set win, and Samuel Malech ’18 earning the clincher 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 6 singles. Malech added another key win in the 5-4 victory over UC Santa Cruz on Saturday.   Men’s Tennis hosts two matches on Friday against Gustavus Adolphus and Westmont, and then travels to Whittier on Saturday for a 10 a.m. game.

Women’s Tennis, ranked No. 7 in the nation, earned wins over Chicago, MIT and Whittier, but fell to Middlebury on Saturday to see its four-match win streak snapped. Grace Hruska ’18 won all four of her singles matches and improved her win streak to nine, after earning the Division3Tennis.com West Region Player of the Week award the previous week. The Sagehens host Occidental on Friday and Chapman on Saturday in SCIAC play this week.

Softball earned a pair of wins over SCIAC-leading Whittier on Saturday, taking the opening game 8-7 in eight innings and then winning the nightcap 4-1. Natalie Ireland ’18 was huge in the opening game win, hitting a two-run double in the fifth and then driving home the game-winning run in the eighth. Ashley Morello ’15, who was 6-for-9 in the doubleheader, added two hits in the nightcap for a 4-1 sweep. The Sagehens head to Redlands on Saturday for another key SCIAC doubleheader.

Baseball had a strong weekend, narrowly missing a three-game sweep of Occidental before falling in the finale 5-4. Sam Fox ’15 extended his hitting streak to 16 games, including a solo homer in a 9-1 on Saturday, while Mark Okuma ’15 added a three-run double. Cameron Yen ’16 pitched well in the finale, but earned a no-decision. The Sagehens have a big three-game series with defending SCIAC Champion Cal Lutheran this weekend, including a home doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field hosted a SCIAC Quad meet on Saturday, and some familiar faces from Pitzer won their events. Paul Messana ’17, who earned All-America honors in the 800 last year, competed in the event for the first time and came from behind on the final homestretch to win by .27 seconds (1:53.39 to 1:53.66). Bennett Kopperud ’16 added a win in the 400-meter hurdles, after earning first place in that event at the SCIAC Championships last year. The track and field teams will host their annual Invitational on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Women’s Water Polo improved to 3-0 in the SCIAC with a 12-6 win at Chapman on Saturday. Alyssa Woodward ’15 led the way with three goals on offense, while Hope Grant ’17 also added one and Ahsha Earwood ’17 had seven saves in goal. The Sagehens host two big SCIAC matches this week against Whittier on Wednesday (7 p.m.) and Redlands on Saturday (1 p.m.).

Women’s Lacrosse had a defensive battle against Buffalo State on Tuesday and came through with a close 6-5 win. Sarah Markowitz ’16 led the offense with two goals, and Aubrey Douglass ’16 added two assists. Annie Schatz ’15 started on defense and helped  hold the Bengals to only five goals on the day. The Sagehens get back into SCIAC play this week with a road game against Whittier on Saturday.

To keep up to date with all of the action from Sagehens Athletics, follow us on line at www.sagehens.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sagehens, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sagehens and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/sagehenathletics/.

This Week’s Events
Home Events In Bold

Wednesday, April 1
Women’s Water Polo (H) vs. Whittier, 7 p.m.

Friday, April 3
Men’s Tennis (H) vs. Gustavus Adolphus, 10 a.m.
Women’s Tennis (H) vs. Occidental, 2 p.m.

Baseball at Cal Lutheran, 3 p.m.
Men’s Tennis (H) vs. Westmont, 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 4
Women’s Golf at SCIAC II (Upland Hills), 10 a.m.
Men’s Track and Field (H) – Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, 10 a.m.
Women’s Track and Field (H) – Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, 10 a.m.
Women’s Tennis (H) vs. Chapman, 10 a.m.

Men’s Tennis at Whittier, 10 a.m.
Baseball (H) vs. Cal Lutheran, 11 a.m.
Women’s Water Polo (H) vs. Redlands, 11 a.m.

Softball at Redlands, 12 p.m.

Sunday, April 5
Women’s Golf at SCIAC II (Upland Hills), 10 a.m.

About Pitzer College

Pitzer College is a nationally top-ranked undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institution. A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a distinctive approach to a liberal arts education by linking intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility, and community involvement. For more information, please visit www.pitzer.edu.

About Sagehen Athletics

Pitzer College joins with Pomona College to field 21 varsity teams – The Sagehens – that compete in Division III NCAA athletics and as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). There are 10 men’s and 11 women’s teams: baseball (men), basketball, cross country, football (men), golf, lacrosse (women), soccer, softball (women), swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball (women) and water polo.

Media Contact

Office of Communications
[email protected]