Chapin tops Eastlake in game one of regional quarterfinal series

The Chapin softball team got the best of Eastlake in game one of their best-of-three regional quarterfinal series at UTEP Thursday night.

The Huskies emerged with a 3-1 win over the Falcons in a game that featured fewer runs than many anticipated from the high-powered offenses.

The teams will tangle in game two on Friday at UTEP at 5 p.m. with a possible third game to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two.

The Huskies managed to claw their way to a game one victory thanks to a solid effort from pitcher Kristin Fifield, who didn’t allow a run through the first six innings of play.

Alyssa Lozoya launched a solo home run to open the scoring in the second inning to give her Chapin team a 1-0 lead.

But Brianna Valdez performed admirably on the mound for Eastlake, keeping her team within a run most of the night until Chapin scored two in the top of the sixth to make the game 3-0. Jaz Armendariz and Lozoya both connected on RBI base hits that inning to give Chapin a cushion.

Savannah Wysocki drove home a run for Eastlake in the bottom of the seventh to cut the deficit to 3-1, but Fifield was then able to get April Arellano out on a pop-up to short to end the game.

Chapin is in its seventh regional quarterfinal under head coach Kevin Mills while Eastlake is making its first appearance in the third round of the state playoffs.