TURLOCK, Calif. – Playing a pair of extra-inning games, the SF State women's softball team earned a day one split at the opening day of the Tournament of Champions hosted by Stanislaus State. The Gators fell to Western Oregon 6-2 in eight before coming back to defeat Montana State – Billings 7-4 in eight in the day one finale.
"In game one we fell short, needing a couple of clutch hits," said head coach
Lisa Allen. "We also relaxed a little too much with two outs on defense. The team responded well in game two. We worked out of a couple difficult defensive situations and got a couple clutch hits by our hitters in the eight."
In the opener the Gators (20-13) received a very strong pitching performance from starter
Lindsey Cassidy (5-6) who went the distance. She held Western Oregon (14-14) scoreless for the first six innings, but a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the seventh tied the game up 1-1.
The Gators scored a go ahead run in the top of the eighth, Lewis started the inning on second and eventually scored in a defensive miscue by the Wolves.
In the home half of the inning Western Oregon ended the game, scoring five runs on a pair of hits, the winning run coming in on a grand slam. For the day, Cassidy threw 7.0 plus, surrendering 10 hits, six runs, five earned, with five walks and five strike outs.
The Gators offense managed to tally two runs on 10 hits.
Jennifer Lewis, Kaley Shaw and
Gabby Reta doing most of the damage, recording eight of the Gators 10 hits in the opener. Lewis went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Shaw was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, while Reta remains red-hot going 3-for-4 in the opener.
In the nightcap the Gators once again needed extra innings for the result, scoring four runs in the top of the eighth for the win. The big hit in the Gators run inning was a single by
Sara Higa that knocked in a pair of runs.
Megan Clark (10-4) earned the win for the Gators, she went the distance scattering 11 hits over eight innings, while surrendering four runs, three earned with two walks and four strike outs.
SF State struck first scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning,
Angelica Terrel with the RBI base hit that plated a pair. The Yellowjackets (9-20) scored three in the third and another run in the bottom of the eighth, but Clark shut down the door to hold on for the win.
The Gators return to action tomorrow morning, they will play another early morning double header, taking on Western Oregon at 9:00 a.m. followed by Central Washington at 11:30 a.m. at the Pedretti Complex. They will also face Concordia (Ore.) at 5:30 p.m. at Warrior Field on the campus of Stanislaus State.
Game One Box Score (
HTML)
Game Two Box Score (
HTML)
--
About SF State Athletics
Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.
Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
