SCC Opens With Upset, Then Loses at Regional

Southern California College started the day with its biggest upset of the season, then suffered its worst loss of the season at the NAIA Far West Regional softball tournament Thursday at DeYoung Field in West Covina.

Southern California upset No. 1-ranked Hawaii Pacific, 1-0, in the first round but couldn’t sustain the effort and lost to No. 5 Azusa Pacific, 12-4, in the second round.

Azusa Pacific (48-7) pounded out 16 hits and scored at least two runs in each of the first four innings off Southern California College (20-32-1) starter Jen Houston (8-18).

Azusa Pacific started the day by beating Concordia, 21-1, in a game in which the Cougars scored eight runs in the second inning and 11 in the third.

Michelle Murie was one for two with an RBI and a run in the second game for the Southern California College.

In the upset earlier in the day, Gretchen Brandt (8-6) pitched a two-hitter, striking out 15 and walking three. Sarah Walters drove in Rachel Carver with a two-out single in the fifth inning for the only run of the game.

The Vanguards will play Hawaii Pacific again in the double-elimination tournament at 11 a.m. today.

The winner will play Azusa Pacific at 1:30 p.m. today, and the loser will be eliminated.

Concordia was eliminated from the tournament when the Eagles lost to Hawaii Pacific, 9-1, Thursday.