3/27/10 - Royals Help with Cancer Fight

By Tim Gooszen

Riverside, CA- On Saturday, Hope International teamed up with #1 California Baptist to wear pink tops in support of the Lancers’ annual StrikeOut Cancer game.  As for the games themselves, the Lancers used six homeruns to power past the Royals 7-0 and 10-2 in 5 innings.  Freshman Janelle Medor was 2-6 on the day with two runs scored.

While two members of the Angel family are always involved in Hope International Softball as a coach and player, a third member of the Angel family was the star of the show on Saturday.  Clarice Angel, who is Head Coach Ty Angel’s mom and currently in a fight with her second bout of cancer, was helped to the mound by her granddaughter and Royals’ shortstop Caitlin Angel for the ceremonial first pitch.  All proceeds from the two games were generously donated by California Baptist toward the fight against cancer.

In the first game, Hope International was only able to produce three base runners that were all stranded- a walk by Senior Lindsay Robillard leading off the second, a single to right by Freshman Kayla Uphold in the fourth, and a single back up the middle by Sophomore Alexis Alonzo in the seventh.

Uphold, who fought through trouble all game, had just one “1-2-3” inning.  In the third, she struck out the leadoff hitter but then hit the next batter who was erased trying to steal second (the second runner thrown out by Robillard from behind the dish in the game).  A fly ball to left field brought the inning to a close.

In the end, Uphold was charged with the loss after surrendering two homeruns and hitting four batters.

Game 2 started out great for the Royals as Medor singled, stole second, and was then driven home on a single to left by Senior Sheyna Alarcon.

But the lead did not last as the Lancers (41-1, 13-1 GSAC) used a leadoff homerun to jump start a four run inning.  One inning later, back-to-back homeruns accounted for three of the four for the Lancer runs.  As if three were not enough, the Lancers hit yet another homerun leading off the third.

Though the Royals scattered seven hits and two walks over the course of the five innings played, they were unable to push across a run again until the fifth.  Medor collected her second hit of the game and moved to third on a double by Uphold.  Angel- who just returned from a three week stint on the “disabled list”- singled home Medor for the Royals second run of the day.

Even with only throwing two innings, Alonzo took the loss in game two.

The Royals (11-21, 0-14 GSAC) will try and right the ship when they host Biola on Tuesday at Craig Park at 2:00 pm.

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