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SAN FRANCISCO – For the second straight day, the San Francisco State softball team received a game-winning pinch hit from Kelly Mast, whose seventh-inning single lifted the Gators past visiting Notre Dame de Namur, 4-3, in the second game of a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday at SF State. With the victory, the Gators (17-31) salvaged a split after dropping the opener by an identical 4-3 count.
 
Mast, who smacked a walk-off solo home run in a 4-3 triumph on Tuesday in the first game of a twin-bill versus Cal State Stanislaus, was summoned from the bench once again in the nightcap against the Argonauts (19-26) with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Kelsey Murakami led off the frame with a walk, while Courtney Gravel reached on an infield single.  After a Lucy Fernandez sacrifice, Jenna Wermes was intentionally walked, setting the stage for another dramatic finish, courtesy of Mast. On a 1-1 offering, the Gator senior laced a 1-1 pitch up the middle past the outstretched glove of NDNU second baseman Shay Shibata as Murakami cruised home with the winning tally.
 
SF State jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Fernandez's two-run single in the first, followed by Gravel's RBI double in the second.
 
However, the Argos began whittling away at the deficit as Janae Reyes doubled home Sylia Honne in the top of the third, while Mary Ortega led off with a solo homer in the fourth.  NDNU then drew even in the sixth after Hillary Uekawa beat the throw home on Robyn Araujo's squeeze bunt.  The visitors were poised to add more as Ortega took third on the previous play after cracking a double to deep left field.  However, Wermes made a tremendous acrobatic catch on a seemingly harmless pop-up in front of the plate by Amanda Wallach, while Shibata flew out to right to end the inning.
 
Gator starter Ali Garcia (2-6) then retired the side in order in the seventh to keep the score deadlocked at 3-3 until Mast's winning hit. Garcia scattered six hits and one walk to nail down her second straight victory, while Hillary Ruddick (8-12)  was tagged with the defeat after giving up all four runs on nine hits and five walks.
 
SF State came close to pulling out a dramatic victory in game one; however a late rally came up just short. 
 
Trailing 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Murakami drew a walk, while Gravel was struck by a pitch.  Fernandez then stepped to the plate and hit a hot smash through the left side as the ball narrowly avoided making contact with Murakami, who sprinted home to pull the Purple and Gold within one at 4-3. However, the Gators were unable to get the equalizer as NDNU starter Sammy McConvey induced a ground-out to end the game.
 
The Argos opened the scoring in the top of the third on Ortega's RBI double, before the Gators countered with two markers in the bottom of the inning.  Murakami knocked in Kylie Herrada with a triple down the right-field line and promptly scored when the throw into third went awry.
 
However, NDNU returned the favor in the fifth as Janae Reye, led off with a triple of her own down the left-field line and slid home safely moments later on Ortega's squeeze bunt.
 
The scored remained knotted at 2-2 until the top of the seventh when the Argos plated two markers on RBI singles by Kayla Anderson and Breanna Young.
 
McConvey (11-11) earned the complete game victory, surrendering all three runs on six hits and three walks, while Becky Nakano (6-8) absorbed the hard-luck defeat.  Nakano went the distance as well, allowing 12 hits, including five in the fateful seventh.
 
Reyes was the Argos hitting star after turning in a 4-for-4 performance, featuring two doubles and her aforementioned triple to go along with three runs scored, while Anderson, Ortega and Young finished with two hits apiece.
 
Conversely, Fernandez had three of the Gators' six hits, while Murakami scored two runs.
 
SF State will close off the 2012 campaign this weekend, April 20-21, when it entertains CCAA foe Sonoma State in a four-game series.  Friday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m., while Saturday's twin-bill is scheduled for a noon start.  Prior to Saturday's games, the Gators will conduct Senior Day festivities, honoring Kylie Herrada, Heather Jensen, Kelly Mast and Jenna Wermes.