SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco State gave No. 21 Sonoma State all it could handle on Friday, but fell short in both games of a California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader at SFSU Softball Field. The Gators experienced a narrow 3-1 defeat in a marathon opener that lasted 12 innings, before suffering a 4-2 setback in the nightcap as a late rally was snuffed out.
With the sweep, SF State falls to 19-24 on the season and 12-14 in league play, while the Seawolves maintain their perch atop the CCAA with a 35-12 overall record and a 21-9 mark in conference action.
Both teams squandered scoring chances in game one, stranding 12 base runners apiece.
With no score in the ballgame, the Seawolves threatened in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases with one out. However, Gator starter Ashley Jackson (Vallejo, Calif., St. Patrick-St. Vincent HS) received a timely 5-2-3 double play to get out of the jam.
SSU finally broke through with an unearned run in the top of the fifth when Ashley Britton singled through the right side to plate LeeAnn Stroud, who reached on an error and stole second.
SF State knotted things up in the bottom of the sixth as Alyssa Esquibel's (San Jose, Calif., Archbishop Mitty HS) sacrifice fly brought in Kendra Wood (San Jose, Calif., Lynbrook HS), who earlier walked and advanced to third on a Lea Cardenas (Sanger, Calif., Sanger HS) single.
The Seawolves threatened to go back in front in the top of the seventh, but Simone Brandalise, who previously hit a one-out single, was gunned down at the plate on Jessica Delgado's (Monterey, Calif., Cal State Monterey Bay) relay throw after Britton doubled to right center.
The contest moved to extra frames, and the Gators were poised for the win in the bottom of the ninth as Delgado and Kelly McDonald (Gilroy, Calif., Live Oak HS) delivered singles sandwiched around an infield pop-out. Moments later, however, pinch-runner Danielle Mestas (Los Angeles, Calif., Venice HS) was tagged out at home after trying to score from second on Heather Jensen's (Sacramento, Calif., Del Campo HS) base hit to left center. SSU pitcher Julianne Martinez was then able to avert disaster by inducing a groundout to end the frame.
The Seawolves scored what proved to be the winning runs in the top of the 12th on RBI singles by Brandalise and Rochelle Vanyi. SF State put a runner aboard in the bottom of the stanza, but Martinez closed the door with a pop-out and a strikeout, which put an end to the 3 hour-and-10 minute affair.
Despite yielding 11 hits and three walks, Martinez (16-6) earned the victory, giving up just one run in 12 innings. Jackson (10-9) also went the distance, throwing a whopping 215 pitches, but allowed three runs (one earned) on 10 hits and four walks in the loss.
SSU drew first blood in the first inning of game two as Ali Palermo doubled in Brandalise, while a Vanyi squeeze bunt plated Britton, giving the visitors a quick 2-0 advantage.
After the Seawolves tallied single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the Gators finally broke through with a marker of their own in the bottom of the fifth when Kendra Wood singled in Jensen, who singled, advanced to second on a walk and later stole third.
Trailing 4-1, the Gators pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh when pinch-hitter Kelsey Wood (San Jose, Calif., Lynbrook HS) singled in Karolyn Gubbine (Richmond, Calif., Pinole Valley HS), who kept SF State's belated rally alive with a double down the right-field line. Kendra Wood soon followed with a base hit to center, while pinch-hitter Deana Querubin (San Jose, Calif., Milpitas ) drew a walk to load the bases. The Gator comeback hopes were denied shortly thereafter, however, as a flyout ended the game.
Samantha Lipperd (18-5) scattered eight hits and four walks to nail down the complete-game victory, while Marisa Ibarra (Hollister, Calif., San Benito HS ) absorbed the loss after giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks in seven innings as well.
McDonald and Kendra Wood each had a combined four hits on the afternoon to pace the SF State offense, while Gubbine and Delgado finished with three apiece. Palermo led all players with five hits in the twin-bill.
