Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

TURLOCK, Calif. – The San Francisco State softball team went eight innings in both games of pool play on Saturday at the Tournament of Champions, presented by Mizuno, posting a wild 10-8 victory over Northwest Nazarene in the afternoon, before dropping a tough 4-3 decision to Grand Canyon in the evening contest.
 
With the split, the Gators (12-23) moved to 4-1 in the tournament and earned a spot in the Bronze Bracket, where they will square off against Montana State Billings on Sunday beginning at 2:30 pm.  If SF State defeats the Yellowjackets,
it will play for the Bronze Bracket title against an opponent to be determined starting at 4:30 pm.
 
Against NNU, SF State pounded out 13 hits, including a home run and seven doubles, capitalizing on three Crusader errors en route to the win.  Kelsey Murakami and Lucy Fernandez led the Gator outburst with three hits each, while Ashley Huff, Courtney Gravel and Kylie Herrada scored two runs apiece.
 
After Arielle Chao's solo home run in the bottom of the first gave NNU an early 1-0 lead, SF State erupted for five runs in the second and third innings to stake a 5-1 advantage as a steady rain began to fall at Turlock Regional Sports Complex.
 
In the second, Gravel, who previously reached on a lead-off single and moved over to third on Cara Spence's ground-rule double, promptly scored on a wild pitch, while pinch-hitter Torrey Rook followed with another two-bagger to plate Spence.
 
Fernandez then led off the third with her first collegiate home run, while pinch-runner Heather Jensen and Gravel touched home shortly thereafter following a pair of errant throws by the Crusader infield.
 
Trailing 5-1, NNU struck back with four markers with two outs in the bottom of the fifth on four consecutive hits, including key RBI doubles by Elizabeth Beaty and Chelsey Anderson to knot the score at 5-5.
 
The Gators answered with three runs in the top of the sixth as pinch-hitter Kelly Mast drove in Herrada with another ground-rule double down the left-field line, while Murakami raced home on a Fernandez ground-out. On a bizarre play in the interim, Huff who previously re-entered for Mast and took third on a wild pitch, touched home when the Crusader defense threw to first on a dropped third strike.
 
NNU wasted little time to get the runs back in the bottom of the frame as Chao homered for the second time in the contest, a three-run shot over the fence in left-center field to tie the score once again at 8-8.
 
After a scoreless seventh, SF State plated two runs in the top of the eighth with the international tie-breaker in effect on RBI singles by Huff and Murakami.
 
The Crusaders had a chance to score in their half of the inning after pinch-runner Kira Varady took third on a sacrifice.  However, Gator starter Becky Nakano erased Cara Duckworth with a huge strikeout, while Varady was tagged out at home on a subsequent squeeze play to end the game.
 
Nakano (4-3), who exited with two outs in the fifth returned to the circle after reliever Marisa Ibarra was unable to retire four NNU hitters, notched her third consecutive victory, giving up five runs on seven hits and two walks to go along with a season-high nine strikeouts, while Duckworth was tagged with the loss after surrendering all 10 runs.
 
As the venue shifted to Pedretti Park, SF State continued its offensive fireworks in the nightcap against Grand Canyon, matching a season-high with 14 hits.  However, the Purple and Gold was unable to take advantage of numerous scoring opportunities after stranding 13 runners.
 
Still, the Gators jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings as Murakami and Jenna Wermes delivered RBI singles in the first, while Herrada scored on a sacrifice fly in the second.
 
In the circle, Ibarra allowed just three base runners through the first five innings until the Antelopes struck for three runs on four hits in the top of the sixth, highlighted by Nicole Upshaw's key two-run double.
 
With the score deadlocked at 3-3, Kelsey Barak, who was placed on second to start the eighth with the tie-breaker rule in effect, advanced on a bunt and scored on Upshaw's sacrifice fly to right, giving GCU a 4-3 advantage.
 
SF State had a chance to bring the tying run home from third following a sacrifice in the bottom of the frame; however, Antelope reliever Kiki Sepulveda induced a fly-out and a grounder to end the threat.
 
Sepulveda (7-2) pitched the final three innings to pick up the win, giving up three hits and two walks, while Ibarra (6-7) was the hard-luck loser after yielding all four runs on six hits and three walks, while adding five strikeouts in eight innings of work.
 
Individually, the Gators were led by Gravel's 4-for-4 performance at the plate, while Murakami and Wermes finished with two hits apiece.