CARSON, Calif. — After having the series delayed and the first doubleheader of the series rained out, the San Francisco State softball team dropped a pair of one-run games to No. 13 Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 and 7-6.
- The Gators (5-10/0-6 CCAA) have dropped nine in a row, the last eight all coming versus Top 25 opponents. The No. 13 Toros improve to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
- Despite the losses, SF State's offense resurfaced as the Gators collected 15 hits over the two games.
- Kira Nilson went 4-for-8 with a run and an RBI, and raised her batting average 62 points.
- Kai DeLeon, Marley Gonzales, and Teya Vincent all had multi-hit games in game two. Vincent hit her first career home run, a three-run shot.
- Errors continued to haunt the Gators, who made three on the day, one of which led to three unearned runs in game two, including the game-winning run.
Game 1
- The Gators struck first with Nilson's RBI single up the middle that plated DeLeon, who led off the game with an infield single.
- SF State added on in the fifth. DeLeon walked, then Gonzales singled, and an errant fielder's choice loaded the bases. Dani Guerrera drove ina run with a sac fly and Marisa Jordan drove home another run with an infield groundout.
- The lead held until the seventh. Kaylee Hull led off the inning with a double, Alexus Corona followed with a single, Amara Labonog was hit by a pitch, then Raquel Jaime drew a bases-loaded walk. The Gators tried for a force at second but the the fielder came off the bag, which allowed another run to score, then Alani Nguyen walked it off with a two-run single to left center.
- Brooklyn Heffernan (1-5) was solid through the first six innings and was tossing a two-hitter headed to the seventh but couldn't get the final three outs. Her final line was four earned runs on five hits over six innings. She walked five and struck out five.
- Alyssa Olague started the game and gave one earned run on five hits in three innings of work with a pair of strikeouts.
- Sara Batt (4-0) tossed four innings of relief work with two walks and two strikeouts. She gave up two runs on two hits but was the pitcher of record in the seventh.
Game 2
- The Gators grabbed an early lead again in game two. DeLeon legged out an infield single and Guerrera drew a full-count walk. Then, Vincent blasted a 2-1 pitch off of the scoreboard in right center for a three-run shot.
- The Toros took advantage of a throwing error in the bottom half of the first and scored a pair of unearned runs en route to tying the game at 3-3.
- In the third, Gonzales singled, stole second, and scored on Vincent's double to right center.
- SF State's lead was shortlived yet again, as the Toros took advantage of a walk, a hit by pitch, and a couple of hits for 6-4 lead in the bottom half of the inning.
- In the seventh, the Gators were down to their final out after Guerrera plated a run on a fielder's choice that made it 6-5. With Vincent up to bat, Guerrera drew a throw to second base, which allowed Gonzales to race home and steal home to tie it. Guerrera got back to the bag safely but Vincent struck out to end the inning.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Jay Ross and Hull both singled. Pinch hitter Nayah Pola hit the first pitch she saw back to the pitcher but Heffernan threw to third for the force. Her throw was off target, which allowed Ross to come around for the game-winning run.
- Kaitlyn Maddux was touched for three runs, just one earned, in an inning and a third of work. She allowed five hits and struck out one with one walk.
- Madeline Eshbach (0-2) worked four and two thirds innings and took the loss. She gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits. She walked two and struck a pair out.
- Heffernan came in but only threw one pitch. She induced a comebacker but made a crucial throwing error that would have ended the game.
- Ashly Wies allowed four runs on five hits in three innings of work. She struck out three and walked one.
- Sara Bhatt (5-0) picked up her second win of the day with four more innings of relief. She allowed two runs on three hits over four innings of work. She struck out four and walked one.
The Gators return home and are scheduled for a non-conference series versus Academy of Art on Wednesday, March 1 at noon. The series will be broadcast on the
CCAA Network with live stats available at
sfstategators.com. In-game updates will also available on Twitter at
@sfstate_sb. Tickets are on sale at
sfstategators.com/tickets.
