FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PANTHERS PLAY LONG BALL, CLOSE OUT TOURNAMENT WITH FOUR STRAIGHT WINS

ORANGE, Calif. –  The Chapman University softball team concluded its own Sun West Tournament with two wins each on Sunday and Monday and a fireworks display that included seven home runs and a walk-off game-winning home run against No. 3 Linfield College (Ore.). The Panthers posted a record of 16-7 in March, playing 23 games in 23 days, and remain ranked No. 6 in Division III.

Monday Game 1: Chapman 3, Linfield 1
The past two regional champs (Chapman 2004-05, Linfield 2006) squared off and it was a playoff atmosphere from beginning until the end. Sophomore OF Erin Dudzinski snapped a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-run walk-off home run, the first HR of her career to give the Panthers the win.

All of the game’s runs were scored on home runs. Chapman took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a solo home run by freshman IF Melanie Villarroel. The Wildcats tied it in the sixth with a solo homer by Erica Hancock.

Senior RHP Maggie Wilder was tough once again for Chapman, allowing just one run on seven hits and improved to 12-4 this season. Linfield fell to 15-3 overall.

Monday Game 2: Chapman 8, Williams 7
Chapman (24-9) once again played long ball, hitting three and needing every one of them to defeat Williams College (Mass.) for the second time in a week. Freshman IF Dani Brown hit a solo home run and junior IF Catherine Hall broke out of a mild slump with a pair of two-run home runs.

Dudzinski continued her torrid streak with a 2-for-4 performance and two runs scored. No one is sadder than her to see March come to an end. The sophomore hit .434 in March with 11 doubles and 14 RBI.

Sunday Game 1: Chapman 14, Pacific 5
The Panthers’ offensive weekend began with a bang on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore C Kandy Francis broke open a 2-1 game in the third inning with a grand slam – her first career home run – and senior OF Sandra Burns followed with a solo home run to give the Panthers a 7-1 lead. Chapman then exploded for seven more runs in the fourth inning and cruised to the victory. Burns finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI. Junior IF Amanda Campbell was 2-for-3 with two RBI, as well.

In the circle, freshman RHP Vanessa Goncalves improved to 6-1 and helped her own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Sunday Game 2: Chapman 8, Whitworth 2
In a rematch of Chapman’s only playoff victory in 2006, the Panthers jumped on the Pirates with three runs in the second and five more in the third. Dudzinski doubled in a pair of runs in the second inning, while sophomore OF Kathleen Ramseyer had the key hit – a two-run single – in the third. Both finished with a pair of hits. Villarroel also had two hits, including a double.

Wilder scattered seven hits and struck out 11 batters to earn her 11th victory of the season.

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Game stats available online:
http://www1.chapman.edu/athletics/06-07/softball/teamstat.htm