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TURLOCK, Calif. – Jordan Brenner's single in the top of the seventh drove in Kylie Herrada with the go-ahead run as the San Francisco State softball team rallied for a 5-4 triumph over Notre Dame de Namur in the third game of the Tournament of Champions, presented by Mizuno, Friday at Pedretti Park. 
 
With the win, the Gators (11-22) completed a 3-0 mark on the day after posting a 4-2 victory over Hawaii-Hilo, followed by a 5-4 shaving of Central Washington.
 
SF State pitcher Marisa Ibarra (6-6) was victorious in the circle against both UHH and NDNU and added her third save of the year against CWU.  The Purple and Gold banged out 34 hits on the day, including five apiece by Brenner and Kelsey Murakami, while Jenna Wermes finished with a combined three hits and four RBI
 
In game one against Hawaii-Hilo at Turlock Regional Sports Complex, the Gators grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on run-scoring singles by Lucy Fernandez and Cara Spence sandwiched around Courtney Gravel's RBI double.
 
SF State then extended the margin in the second when Ashley Huff scored on a Fernandez ground-out.
 
Trailing 4-0, Vulcans made things interesting with two outs in the seventh, notching two runs as Erin Oshiro touched the plate on Aisha Sueda's single, while pinch-runner Amanda Nazario promptly raced around from second after the ball was mishandled in the outfield.  However, Ibarra induced a pop-foul to the very next batter Asha Prithviraj to preserve the victory.
 
Ibarra scattered nine hits and three walks, while striking out five to secure the complete game win, while UHH starter Jessica Pepin was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs on 10 hits and a walk in six innings of work.
 
Huff, Brenner and Herrada finished with two hits apiece to pace the SF State offense, while Bryanna Hardy went 3-for-3 for the Vulcans in the defeat.
 
The scene then shifted to Pedretti Park for the two night contests as the Gators used the big inning to down Central Washington.
 
The Wildcats staked an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Carrina Wagner singled with two outs, while Heidy Wells quickly followed with her first homer of the year on a 2-2 pitch from Gator starter Becky Nakano.
 
The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the third when SF State erupted for five runs on six hits to chase CWU pitcher Maria Gau.  With two outs, Wermes laced a single to left field, plating Huff and  Murakami, while Gravel knocked in Fernandez with a base hit that found daylight through the left side.  Shortly thereafter, Spence cracked her fifth double of the season to score Fernandez and Gravel, giving the Purple and Gold a 5-2 advantage.
 
The Wildcats narrowed the gap in the sixth when Cassi Ellis' single to right brought home pinch-runners Shelby Yasuda and Jordan Zurfluh.  CWU threatened to add more; however, Nakano wiggled free of further damage after inducing a force play at the plate and an inning-ending grounder.
 
Ibarra then entered in the seventh, striking out the side to nail down her third save of the year.  Nakano (3-3) emerged victorious in her third straight start, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks, while Gau absorbed the defeat.
 
SF State finished with a season-high 14 hits, including three by Murakami, while Wermes, Fernandez and Herrada contributed two hits each.
 
Against NDNU, the Gators overcame a 4-1 deficit, scoring four runs over the final two frames to keep their unblemished day intact.
 
Trailing 1-0 after the Argonauts tallied an unearned run in the bottom of the first,  SF State tied the score in the third when Huff raced home on Murakami's run-scoring single.
 
However, NDNU regained the upper hand at 4-1 in the fourth when Akasha Dykes launched a three-run homer over the fence in left-center field.
 
The Gators once again flashed their resiliency, plating three markers in the top of the sixth to knot the score at 4-4.  After Murakami and Fernandez reached on consecutive one-out singles, Wermes roped her second double of the year to score the two SF State runners, while pinch-runner Heather Jensen galloped home moments later on Gravel's sacrifice fly.
 
The Gators then manufactured the go-ahead run in the seventh after Brittany Barcellos and Herrada reached on back-to-back infield singles.  Shortly thereafter, Barcellos was erased at third on a force out, but Brenner soon followed with a well-place hit that landed inside the foul line in shallow left field to bring in the speedy Herrada from second.
 
After striking the first two Argonaut hitters in the seventh, Ibarra allowed a single to Amanda Wallach, before getting out of potential danger by inducing a game-ending pop-up to Shay Shibata.
 
Ibarra struck out eight and surrendered just four hits and two walks en route to her ninth complete game of the season, while NDNU  reliever Hillary Ruddick  (7-8) took the loss after yielding the go-head run in the seventh.  Argonaut starter Lucinda Knudson pitched six innings, giving up four runs on and a walk, before Ruddick took over in the circle to start the seventh.
 
SF State had four players with two hits each, including Brenner, Murakami, Barcellos and Herrada.
 
The Gators will wrap up pool play at the Tournament of Champions on Saturday when they tackle Northwest Nazarene at 12:15 p.m., before locking horns with Grand Canyon at 3:30 p.m.

Box Score vs. NDNU