California Lutheran University Regals softball played the University of La Verne Leopards on Friday, April 22 at Hutton Field. The Regals mounted a late game comeback and took this game down to the wire, but ended up losing this matchup 6-5. 

“I thought that we weren’t as aggressive when we had runners on base in the middle of the game. Those are the things in these close games that come back to bite you, but in general I think we played a much more complete game today,” Head Coach Debra Day said.

It was an action packed first inning for the Leopards, as they came out swinging and put up four runs. 

After the first inning, Regals senior starting pitcher Taryn Faull was able to settle in as she only allowed two runs the rest of the game. 

“They got to us early in the first inning, but I thought Taryn did a great job of fighting back and finishing that game after giving up four runs in the first,” Day said. 

The Regals were able to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, thanks to a single from junior Natalie Luna that brought home first-year Hanna Booth. The Regals  added on another run, with a sacrifice fly from first-year Hannah Mosesian that brought home sophomore Emily Blank. 

The Leopards answered with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth that put them up 6-2. 

Blank hit a two-run home run of her own in the bottom of the sixth inning to bring the Regals within two runs of the Leopards. 

“That was my first collegiate home run, it was a crazy feeling,” Blank said. 

The Regals held La Verne scoreless in the top of the seventh, and gave themselves a shot to win the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Cal Lutheran showed some patience at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, with a couple of walks, including a walk from Luna that brought in a run, bringing the Regals within one run of the Leopards. 

The game would end with a strikeout, leaving the bases loaded and the Regals dropping this game by one run.

Blank had a big day at the plate with three hits, including the two-run home run. 

“Something that Coach John really presses is when you’re up to bat, making sure to get to contact. A lot of our swings when we’re hitting in the cages, we only get to contact, we never full swing. I think that’s really helped offensively,” Blank said. 

Luna had a good day at the plate, driving in two of the Regals five runs and spoke a bit about her keys to being successful at the plate.

“Sometimes I can tend to focus on the at-bat before and if it wasn’t successful. I would carry that up to the plate so I just have to have short-term memory is a huge thing in this sport,” Luna said. 

Day and the Regals are looking to build off of the late game momentum and bounceback for the rest of this season. 

“We’re just going to continue what we’ve been working on and hopefully just be a little bit more relaxed up to bat and ready to swing. We have to ride that fine line of being over aggressive and swinging a little crazy, and then not being aggressive enough and watching a strike three go by,” Day said.