Cancilla’s Streak Has No Room for Errors

Chapman’s Lisa Cancilla has a 29-game hitting streak, one shy of the NCAA Division III softball record, but lately she hasn’t been giving herself much breathing room.

Last week against UC Riverside, Cancilla managed only an infield single--that she barely beat out--in the second game of a doubleheader.

Then Tuesday against Cal Lutheran, Cancilla, hitless in three at-bats in the second game, doubled in the sixth inning, driving in a run to give Chapman a 3-1 lead. The Panthers won the game, 3-2.

Cancilla, who says she thrives on pressure, said the streak wasn’t her primary focus when she stepped to the plate. “I was thinking RBI,” she said. “The hitting record was in the back of my mind, but the record wouldn’t mean a thing if we don’t win.”

The victory, which completed a sweep of Cal Lutheran, was an important one. The Panthers (32-7) are top-ranked in Division III and the West Region. Cal Lutheran (30-3), ranked 13th in the nation and second in the region, was trying to knock Chapman off its perch.

Cal Lutheran pitcher Heidi Stevens was baffling the Panthers with rise balls and took a no-hitter and a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning. In the first, Cancilla drove a ball deep to right-center that Cal Lutheran right fielder Xochitl Castillo ran down and had the ball in her glove before dropping it for a three-base error.

Stevens walked six and hit a batter in the first five innings, so Chapman co-coaches Lisle and Janet Lloyd decided to take advantage of Stevens’ wildness. Lisle even gave take signs on 3-and-2 pitches twice.

“It was to the point where we had to because they were swinging at balls over their heads,” Janet Lloyd said.

The strategy worked: the Panthers loaded the bases on walks. Leadoff hitter Jessamine Maiben singled to drive in two runs. Then Stevens was replaced by Gina Delianedis and Lacee Rashi grounded into a force, bringing up Cancilla with runners on first and third.

Her double in the gap in left-center proved to be the difference.

Cancilla is batting .508 with 17 doubles, an .849 slugging percentage and 36 runs batted in. Maiben is batting a team-high .511 and Kathy Donovan is batting .398 with a team-leading 40 RBIs.

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Streak data: With hits in each of the Panthers’ games at UC San Diego Saturday, Cancilla will set the Division III record for hitting safely in consecutive games and take the record away from a teammate. Maiben hit safely in 30 in a row this season and shares the record with Sue Schrader of Nebraska Wesleyan. Their mark is fifth best in all NCAA divisions.

Cancilla also is maintaining another impressive steak. She didn’t strike out in 139 at-bats last season and is up to 126 this season.

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The pairings for the West Regional playoffs are scheduled to be released Sunday and Chapman, the defending Division III champion, should be seeded No. 1 in the West Regional. The site--probably in Iowa--will be announced Sunday.

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Deborah Denio, a junior on the Chapman women’s tennis team, has received a bid to the NCAA Division III national championships, May 11-13 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Denio, ranked 24th nationally and sixth in the West Region in singles, is the first Chapman women’s tennis player to make the NCAA tournament.

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The Southern California College men’s and women’s tennis teams each will begin the postseason today in Point Loma.

The men’s team, which tied Westmont for the Golden State Athletic Conference dual-match title, will battle Westmont and third-place Point Loma Nazarene for the conference tournament title and an automatic bid to the NAIA national tournament.

SCC’s Mattias Johansson is seeded eighth in singles and David Robbins and Ryan Lewis are seeded No. 1 in doubles for the Vanguards, who won the conference tournament last year and finished 14th nationally.

Point Loma is favored to win the women’s NAIA Far West Regional. The SCC women, who tied Westmont for second in the conference, are lead by Quynh Le, who is seeded second in singles. Le and Wendy Andel are the top-seeded doubles team.

Individual champions also will receive automatic bids to the national tournament.

Notes

Southern California College senior Kevin Carlson won the high jump at the Golden State Athletic Conference Championships Saturday at Azusa Pacific. Carlson won with a jump of 7 feet 0 1/4 and then moved the bar up to 7-4 1/4, the provisional qualifying height for the U.S. Olympic trials, and missed three times. “I’ll tell you what, he’s been really close several times,” SCC Coach Bryan Wilkins said. “He’s going to make it if he doesn’t run out of time first.” SCC has two more competitions scheduled, including the NAIA Championships. Carlson’s brother, Brian, cleared 6-10 1/4 to finish third at the conference meet. . . . Chapman’s club lacrosse team finished second in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League tournament Sunday in San Diego. After beating Sonoma State, 19-9, in a semifinal Friday, Chapman lost to Whittier, 16-9, in the final.