SAN FRANCISCO — The No. 20 San Francisco State softball team split its Friday doubleheader with Chico State. The Gators fell 6-3 in game one and bounced back in game two, 3-1.
- SF State, which is ranked No. 20 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, moves to 24-8 overall and 11-5 in CCAA action. The Wildcats move to 17-11 overall and 9-9 in CCAA play.
- Kai DeLeon recorded four hits, bringing her career total to 190. She passes Kristin Bartholomay's 188 (2004-07) for seventh all-time.
- Marley Gonzales went 3-for-3 in game two with two RBI and a walk.Gonzales and DeLeon each had a steal in the doubleheader, which keeps them on pace at fourth and fifth, respectively, on the career leaders list.
- In game one, Ashley Rocha went 2-for-2 with a run and two RBI. She went 1-for-2 with a run and a walk in game two versus her former team.
- Rylee McDaniel and Shaunnesy Cardwell turned the Gators' 18th double play of the season in game two. SF State is currently fourth in the nation in double plays turned.
- Five different Wildcats had two hits in game one.
Game 1
- Chico State got on the board with a two-out, two-run rally in the top of the first. Elise Roy came back to get a pair of groundouts after giving up a leadoff single to Kennedy Gustin. However, Aiyana Curry sent a seeing-eye single to the center field warning track for a 1-0 Wildcats lead, Hannah Levy singled, and Itzell De Los Rios dropped a single into shallow right field to make it 2-0.
- The Wildcats threatened again in the second with two-out bloop singles down the left field and right field lines but Roy got a ground ball to end the threat. Roy got out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third with a strikeout and a groundout.SF State threatened with runners on second and third and one out but were unable to take advantage.
- The first four Wildcats of the fourth inning reached base with RBI hits from Curry and Levy that chased Roy. Chico State batted around to make it a four-run frame.
- The Gators got two on with no outs in the seventh and avoided the shutout with Rocha's two-out, two-run double to left center. She came around on DeLeon's RBI single to left center that cut the lead to 6-3. The Gators got the tying run to the plate but Daniella Guerrera hit a ball back to the circle.
- Trinidad (3-0) allowed just one run on six hits. She walked one and struck out five.
- Taylor Thompson (8-8) pitched six and two thirds innings. She allowed four runs on five hits. She walked two and struck out seven.
- Lefty Bella Tavares came in and got the final out for her first save of the season.
Game 2
- After turned an inning-ending double play, the Gators loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning. However, De Los Reyes fielded a Lexi Holihan ball and stepped on the third base bag to end the inning.
- A leaodff walk to Curry in the second proved costly. Levy and De Los Rios followed with back-to-back singles to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
- SF State took its first lead of the day in the bottom of the second. Rylee McDaniel reached on an error, Rocha singled up the middle, they moved up on DeLeon's sac bunt, and Gonzales sent them home with a two-out, two-run single to right field.
- Kira Nilson ripped a two-out double to the wall in left center that scored Holihan and extended the lead to 3-1.
- Mari Takeda Bajan (10-2) needed just 81 pitches for another complete game. She scattered a run on five hits. She walked two and struck out three, including the final two batters looking.
- Kylie Loertscher (3-2) went the first three innings for Chico State. She allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits. She walked one and struck out one.
- Tavares pitched three scoreless innings for the Wildcats. She allowed three hits, walked a pair, and struck out three.
The Gators and Wildcats wrap up the series on Saturday, March 22 with a Noon doubleheader. The doubleheader will be broadcast on
flocollege.com and live stats will be available at
sfstategators.com, with tickets available at
sfstategators.com/tickets.
