Carson, Calif. – The No. 19 San Francisco State softball team suffered its first CCAA doubleheader loss of the season at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday. The Gators fell 9-3 and 8-4.
- SF State, which is ranked No. 19 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, slips to 25-11 overall and remain in second place in the CCAA at 12-8. The Toros improve to 22-15 overall and 9-9 in conference play.
- The Gators' three-game losing streak is the longest of the season. Friday also marks the first conference doubleheader that the Gators have dropped.
- In those three losses, the team's ERA is 8.47. The team's season ERA is still just 2.61, third best in the CCAA.
- Rylee McDaniel had a three-hit day, including a pair of home runs. She leads the team with six home runs. Shaunnessy Cardwell also went deep and the Gators now have nine on the season.
- Daniella Guerrera drove home her 90th career RBI and is three away from tying Kendra Wood (2008-11) for eighth all time.
- Kai DeLeon also had a three-hit days. She now has 49 on the season, bringing her career total to 195. That puts DeLeon just one behind Courtney Gravel (2012-15) for sixth all-time in program history.
Game 1
- CSUDH took a quick 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
- In the top of the third, McDaniel led off and got the Gators on the board with a towering homer to dead center, her fifth of the season.The Toros added back to their lead with two more runs in the bottom of the third.
- Cardwell's solo homer in the fourth pulled the Gators to within one, 4-2.
- The Gators threatened again with two on and one out in the fifth but only came away with one run. Marley Gonzales' two-out single cut the lead to 4-3.
- SF State failed to capitalize again in the sixth with a pair in running scoring position, and the Toros blew things open with a five-run bottom of the sixth.
- Elise Roy (10-5) surrendered nine runs, eight earned, in five and a third innings. She walked six and struck out two.
- Kharime Caratachea pitched two thirds of an inning.
- CSUDH used three pitchers. Starter Ashley Ogata gave up a run on two hits in two innings of work. She walked one and struck out one.
- Lilliana Garcia (12-1) picked up the win in relief with two and a third innings. She gave up two runs on a hit with two walks and a strikeout.
- Alivia Holden picked up the save with two and two thirds innings of three-hit ball. She issued one walk.
Game 2
- An error proved costly and the Gators fell behind 2-0 in the bottom of the first. However, SF State grabbed a 3-2 lead on McDaniel's second homer of the day, another three-run shot to center with two outs. The Gators loaded the bases after that but were unable to add on.
- However, the Toros had a two-out rally of their own in the bottom of the second. Alexis Aguado doubled home Julissa Gomez to tie it and Gaby Gandra singled through the right side to put the Toros up, 4-3.
- SF State threatened in the top of the fourth with the bases loaded but lined into an inning-ending double play. The Gators caught a bad break in the top of the fifth with two on and no out. Guerrera appeared to slide home safely but was ruled as not touching home plate and was tagged out while standing up. The Gators reloaded the bases but were unable to get the tying run home.
- CSUDH made the Gators pay in the bottom of the fifth when Garcia capitalized with a three-run homer to center that extended the Toros' lead to 7-3.
- The Gators got two on and no outs in the sixth thanks to a fielding error on a sacrifice bunt and Guerrera drove a run home to make it 7-4. Still, SF State stranded another pair, and the Toros tacked the run right back in the bottom of the sixth on a Jay Ross RBI double.
- Mari Takeda Bajan (10-4) gave up eight runs, seven earned, in six innings. She walked three and struck out a pair.
- Ashley Ogata started and finished the game. She allowed four runs, three earned, in three and two thirds innings of work. She struck out three.
- Garcia (13-1) picked up another win in relief. She gave up two hits and two walks, and struck out one in an inning and two thirds.
- Holden gave up one hit in an inning and two thirds. She allowed an unearned run and walked three.
The Gators and Toros wrap up the four-game series on Saturday, March 29 with an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
