CHICO, Calif. – The SF State softball team got two very strong pitching performances as the Gators split the series opener against No. 14 Chico State at the University Softball Field.
Megan Clark was rock solid as the Gators took game one 2-1, the Wildcats got the better of the Gators late in game two, taking it 4-1.
"I'm very proud of our team today," said head coach
Lisa Allen. "We played solid defense behind both of our stellar pitching performances. In game one, we used a lot of small ball to move runners and get them in. In game two, we were one clutch hit away. Overall they played very well against a tough team."
SF State (25-26/19-19 CCAA) had their hands full with Chico State's game one starter Brooke Langeloh (17-3). Langeloh was perfect through three innings, retiring the first eight batters via a strike out. She finished the afternoon with 13 strike outs, but it wouldn't' be enough as the Gators clawed their way to two runs.
Megan Clark (13-10) was a bulldog for the Gators. She kept the Wildcats (34-12/25-11 CCAA) off the scoreboard for the first two innings. The Wildcats scored their lone run of the afternoon in the third inning when a leadoff single, a stolen base and a base hit up the middle plated their only run.
Clark went 7.0 complete, scattering six hits, one earned run, with two walks and three strike outs. She also flashed the leather, turning a nice 1-3 double play catching a line drive comebacker to end the bottom of the fourth inning.
Offensively, the Gators broke through against Langeloh in the top of the sixth when the top of the order combo of
Jennifer Lewis and
Alexis Mattos got things going.
Lewis started the rally with a single through the right side, Mattos followed that up with a base hit deep in the hole at second.
Gabby Reta moved both runners up 60 feet on her second perfectly executed sacrifice bunt of the day.
Celeste Adriano plated the Gators first run on a sac bunt herself that scored Lewis from third. A throwing error by the Wildcats allowed Adriano to reach safely and allowed Mattos to score from second.
After getting the 2-1 advantage, Clark retired the next six batters in a row in the bottom of the sixth and seventh to earn the win.
In the nightcap
Lindsey Cassidy (6-8) traded zeroes with Wildcats' starter Haley Gilham (16-7). Chico State scored the game's first run in the bottom of the fourth.
The Gator's offense tied the game up in the top of the fifth inning.
Chelsea Brent started the rally with a one out double to right field, her ninth of the season. She moved up on the infield single by
Kayli Shaw and scored on the base hit past the third baseman.
Cassidy got a shutdown inning in the bottom of the fifth inning but ran into trouble in the sixth, when the Wildcats rallied for three runs on two hits, the big hit a double down the right field line that scored two.
Gilham kept the Gators off the board in the sixth and the seventh inning to earn the win. Cassidy threw very well, going six complete, scattering six hits, four runs, all earned with three walks and a strike out.
SF State looks to take the series tomorrow when they resume the four game CCAA series with a double header starting at 11 a.m.
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About San Francisco 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.
