SAN FRANCISCO – The No. 21 San Francisco State softball team split Friday's doubleheader with No. 13 Cal State East Bay and split the season series. The Gators fell 8-0 in five innings before winning a 6-5 thriller in eight innings.
 

By the Numbers

• SF State, which is ranked No. 21 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, moves to 28-14 overall and 15-11 in CCAA action. The first-place Pioneers, ranked No. 19 in the Top 25 Coaches Poll, moves to 32-9 overall and 20-8 in conference play.
• SF State suffered its first run rule of the season in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. The Gators went to extras for the fourth time this season and they are now 2-2.
• Daniella Guerrera was the offensive hero again on Saturday. After launching a solo homer in the first inning of Friday's 1-0 win, the senior right fielder drove home a pair of runs to send the Gators home happy in the series finale. She now has 96 career RBI, which passes Natalie Batista (2001-03) for seventh all-time on the Gators' career leaders list.
• The Gators turned two double plays, including a strike them out throw them out. The Gators now have 26 for the season.
• Rylee McDaniel was hit by a pitch twice. Her 14 hit by pitches are third most among CCAA players.
• Kai DeLeon was given the series finale off, marking her first time out of the starting lineup this season. The senior shortstop leads the Gators with a .403 batting average but came up limping in Friday's doubleheader.

Game 1

How They Scored

• CSUEB batted around in a disastrous 21-minute first half inning for the Gators. The first four Pioneers recorded hits for quick 2-0 lead, a wild pitch with one out extended the lead to 3-0, and Marissa Farias chased Gators starter Elise Roy with a towering two-run homer to left field. Mims Caratachea came on in relief and surrendered an unearned run before getting a 9-2 double play to finally end the inning.
• The Gators caught another tough break in the fourth. Annelise Garcia led off with a single, then advanced to second on a ball in the dirt that was inadvertently kicked to the backstop by the home plate umpire. She later scored on a botched Gators cutoff to make it 7-0.
• Ashlee Toy's RBI single in the fifth extended the lead to 8-0.
• The Gators loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth but were unable to score and extend the game.
   

In The Circle

• Roy (11-7) gave up five runs on four hits in just a third of an inning.
• Caratachea gave up three runs, two unearned, over four and two thirds of relief work. She allowed nine hits, walked a pair, and struck out a pair.
• Pioneers starter Marissa Quintero (14-2) lowered her CCAA-best ERA to 1.28 en route to the complete-game shutout. She scattered four hits, walked three, and struck out three.

Game 2

How They Scored

• Both teams had plenty of opportunities. CSUEB stranded eight runners while the Gators stranded nine runners.
• The Gators got the jump on the Pioneers with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first. Marley Gonzales, leading off in DeLeon's absence, hit a ball near the warning track in center field that cleared the wall for a ground-rule double. With two outs, McDaniel brought Gonzales home with a double of her own, and McDaniel scored on a Jordan single to right center to make it 2-0.
• The Gators threatened in the second and third innings but stranded a pair in each frame.
• The Pioneers got their first baserunner of the game in the third, and plated a run in the fourth on a bases-loaded fielder's choice. The Gators threatened to answer in the bottom of the fourth but Gonzales was picked off of third with runners on the corners to end the inning.
• In the fifth inning, Kira Nilson was called out at first after placing a bunt down the third base line despite second baseman Gabriela Rivera never tagging the first base bag and tripping Nilson on her sprint towards the bag. Instead of runners on the corners for the Gators, the game headed to the sixth inning, where CSUEB loaded the bases with one out. However, the Gators avoided damage when Jeslyn Cuellar flew out to left field. Pinch runner Izzy Reyes beat the throw home. Catcher Liana Gonzalez quickly fired to third, where pinch runner Ashley Reyes was tagged out. It didn't matter though because Izzy Reyes was called out for leaving early.
• CSUEB finally capitalized in the top of the seventh and tied the game with two runs on four hits but the Gators answered. Ashley Rocha led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, moved into scoring position on a Guerrera fielders' choice, moved to third on a fly out, and scored on a Jordan fielder's choice. However, the Gators stranded another pair and the game headed to extras.
• Gabriela Rivera's two-run, two-out home run put the Pioneers up 5-3 in the eighth and quieted the home crowd.
• The Pioneers turned to Quintero for the save but the sophomore wasn't dominant in relief and allowed five straight hits without recording an out. Lexi Holihan, Liana Gonzalez, and Gonzales all singled to the outfield. Ashley Rocha won an 11-pitch battle and brought Holihan home with another single to left field, then Guerrera won an eight-pitch battle. The senior ripped a single down the third base line that caught chalk about 50 feet down the line and stayed fair to score Gonzalez and Gonzales.

In The Circle

 

• Takeda Bajan (12-4) gave up five runs on 11 hits in the complete-game effort. She walked two and struck out three.
• Toy came away with a no-decision after allowing three runs on eight hits in seven innings of work in which she tossed 132 pitches. She walked four and struck out seven.
• Quintero (14-3) took the loss and saw her ERA jump from 1.28 to 1.48. However, her ERA still leads the CCAA, followed by Toy at 1.53.

Up Next

The Gators will now head back to Cal Poly Humboldt to complete their series with the Lumberjacks. Play was suspended during game three with the Gators trailing 6-1 with two on and no outs in the top of the fifth. The games will be broadcast on FloCollege and live stats will be available at sfstategators.com.