SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – The Dominican University of California softball team swept a home doubleheader over Hawaii Pacific on Sunday to move into fourth place in the PacWest standings.
The Penguins topped the Sharks 7-4 in the first game and then earned a 4-2 win in the second contest. Dominican is now 5-1 on its current homestand and moved its overall record to 13-15, including a 12-6 mark in conference play.
Senior
Catlyn Cavender starred on Sunday for the Penguins' offense, going 3-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored. Junior pitcher
Gaby Katafias tossed a complete-game gem in the second game, allowing just five hits and two runs.
Game One: Penguins 7, Sharks 4
Sophomore
Haley Cheek put together a breakthrough performance at the plate in the first game, delivering the go-ahead RBI hit after the two teams traded runs through the early going. Cheek finished with a 2-for-2 performance and a walk, reaching base in all three plate appearances.
In the bottom of the first, the ball never left the infield but the Penguins managed to manufacture a run.
McKenzie Schumacher and
Katelyn Harden earned infield singles and Dominican jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
An HPU homer knotted the score in the top of the second and then another solo shot in the third inning gave the Sharks a 2-1 edge.
The Penguins bounced back with a big rally in the bottom of the third, which featured a key three-run double by
Karitza Reyes. HPU once again wouldn't go away, tallying a pair of scores in the top of the fifth to once again pull even at 4-4.
The decisive run came in the bottom of the fifth as
Mady Christensen initiated the rally with a one-out double. Cheek delivered the go-ahead RBI hit and Dominican went on to secure the 7-4 victory.
Game Two: Penguins 4, Sharks 2
In similar fashion to the first game, the Penguins took an early lead before the Sharks rallied to tie the contest. This time it was smart baserunning by
Alyssa Lanza that produced the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.
The game's scoring started early as Dominican earned its first run when a Cavender single brought in Lanza in the bottom of the first. One inning later, Reyes blasted a solo homerun. For the sophomore from Elk Grove, it marked the first of her Penguins' career.
The Sharks posted two runs in the top of the fifth and the score became deadlocked at 2-2.
As Katafias silenced the HPU bats for the remainder of the contest, the Dominican offense took advantage of its opportunities in the bottom of the sixth.
Lanza opened with a single to left and then stole second. After Cavender walked, she joined Lanza in a double steal. The Sharks' catcher committed an error on the play and Lanza raced around to score the go-ahead run. The Penguins added another score in the same inning when Reyes knocked a double to score Cavender.
For Katafias, the result marked the third victory in her last four appearances. The Ladera Ranch native has allowed just seven runs in the last 23 innings pitched.
