California Lutheran University Regals softball began the season with two five-inning mercy-rule wins (11-0 and 10-0) in a doubleheader against the Grace University Sun Bears on Saturday, Feb. 22.
According to CLU Sports, the Regals started the new season 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
The Regals won the first game 11-0 in five innings as the team scored 11 runs in the first three innings. Ashlyn Flinchum picked up her first win of the season as she pitched three shutout innings, followed by two shutout innings from sophomore pitcher Mia Cortez.
The Regals won game two 10-0 in five innings. Junior pitcher Ally Forbell pitched the first three innings without allowing a run. Sophomore pitcher Kalli Strahm followed with two shutout innings of her own. Forbell said she and her teammates have so much fun together and they do their own thing when playing the game.
“Overall, I feel like this game went really well. I mean, I love our team so much. We’re super close, so I think we just make everything a fun time and we always put 100% effort towards every game,” Forbell said.
In the first inning, sophomore infielder Jessica Waters delivered a three-run home run to left field, bringing senior infielder Olivia Vargas and first-year infielder Sofia Aviles to the plate.
“It was really awesome. I didn’t know if it would happen today but it did, so it was really awesome and cool. It was really exciting,” Waters said.
In the second inning, first-year infielder Brooke Strahm was called out by the umpire for her bat being illegal. Strahm said she remained calm.
“That had never happened to me before, so I was kind of shocked, but I mean, I guess it just goes to show, like, once you get to the collegiate level, they’re gonna be a little bit more picky on that,” Strahm said. “So, I just know I had to keep my head up and I would get another opportunity, to not only prove myself, but just to help out the team.”
The Regals scored six runs in the third inning. The following inning, the Regals added a run on an RBI triple by first-year infielder Olivia Oergel.
Head Coach Kecia Davis said it was good to start the season on a strong note and was satisfied with the team’s performance.
“I’m excited because it’s our first two games, and it’s always good to get some games under your belt,” Davis said. “They did very well. It’s always nice to score a lot of runs and we were able to play a lot of players today.”
Davis said the team had high energy and concentration throughout these games.
“I felt like they were into the game the whole time. They were loud. They were focused, and so I’m very happy with the results,” Davis said.
This game was the first encounter between Cal Lutheran and Grace University. Davis said it was important for the Regals to play the best the team could regardless of the score.
“They’re a new program, and so new programs are always a little cold, trying to work things out,” Davis said. “So, we just want to come out here and not really worry about who we’re playing against, but just play the best we possibly could.”
Davis said the Regals’ goal each day is to get better as a team as the new season is just beginning.
“It’s just getting better. We are getting better every day. Our goal is every single day to take a step forward, and so we wanna keep doing that,” Davis said. “So, next week we have a good long week of practice, we wanna get better, we wanna stay focused and always keep moving forward and getting better every day.”
Looking ahead, the Regals are set to face George Fox University at home for a doubleheader on Sunday, March 2, with the games scheduled for noon and 2 p.m.
“I’m just excited to compete. Our conference is gonna be tough. We’re gonna have some tough games coming up,” Strahm said. “Even some of our preseason games, we have a lot of teams from out of state coming in, and I know they’re gonna be tough opponents, but I’m just excited to see how we challenge ourselves and how we rise to the occasion and I’m excited to hopefully win SCIAC.”
