SAN FRANCISCO – Kelly McDonald (Gilroy, California, Live Oak) raced home with the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 11
th inning as the San Francisco State softball team defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 3-2, in the second game of California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader on Wednesday at SFSU Softball field. With the victory, the Gators (28-21, 10-16 CCAA) salvaged a split in the twin bill after the Toros (34-18, 16-10 CCAA) claimed a 4-2 decision in nine innings in game one.
Runs came at premium in the nightcap, as both offenses combined for just nine hits. SF State broke through with a score in the bottom of the third inning as
Karolyn Gubbine (Richmond, California, Pinole Valley) singled home McDonald, who previously walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice.
The Gators made their slim 1-0 margin hold up until the top of the seventh when Liz Vazquez scored on Regina Farfan's pinch-hit sacrifice fly, sending the game into extra frames once again.
The Toros appeared to be in the driver's seat in the top half of the eighth after Katie Garcia hit a solo homer that struck the right field foul pole, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead. However,
Danielle Chapman kept SF State alive in the bottom of the inning with her a third home run of the year, a two-out solo blast to right, which tied the score at 2-2.
In the decisive 11
th, McDonald led off with a single and advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt and a groundout.
Kelsey Wood (San Jose, California, Lynbrook) followed with a walk, while
Lea Cardenas (Sanger, California, Sanger) was put aboard intentionally to load the bases. Then with
Alyssa Esquibel (San Jose, California, Archbishop Mitty) at the plate, Farfan, who entered as a reliever in the ninth, uncorked a wild pitch on a 1-2 count, giving the Gators a dramatic win.
Game one was another low-scoring affair, with the score deadlocked at 1-1 through four innings after each side tallied a solo home run. The Toros' Emiley McEwen went deep with two outs in the top of the first, while Cardenas responded with her team-leading 10th round-tripper of the year to lead off the bottom of the second.
CSUDH reclaimed the lead at 2-1 in the top of the fifth when Vazquez hit into a fielder's choice to bring home Khryssie Steele from third. However, SF State answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth as Chapman touched the plate after Cardenas reached on an error, knotting the score at 2-2.
After the Gators were unable to capitalize on Chapman's lead-off single in the bottom of the eighth, the Toros pushed across two runs in the top of the ninth to grab a 4-2 advantage. Kristin Tanaka led off the frame with double and was replaced by pinch runner Michelle Miranda, who was promptly bunted over to third. Katie Garcia then drew a walk, while Steele followed with an RBI groundout to plate Miranda. Moments later, the Toros received a bit of insurance as McEwen reached on an SF State error, which allowed Garcia to score from second.
The Gators put a runner aboard with one out in the bottom of the ninth after
Elizabeth Best-Still (Rancho Cordova, California, Cordova) beat out an infield hit to third; however, CSUDH starter Regina Farfan retired the next two batters to seal the win. Farfan pitched a complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks en route to the victory, while
Ashley Jackson, who also went the distance, took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and five walks.
