Feb. 11, 2007
Box Score
Las Vegas, Nev. - For the second consecutive game, the Pacific softball team stole victory away from the hands of defeat with a seventh inning rally to defeat Marshall 13-8 on Sunday, February 11. The win moved the Tigers to a perfect 5-0 on the season and in the Alexis Park Tournament while the Thundering Herd fell to 2-3 on the year.
The win gave the Tigers at least a share of the tournament championship as they finished with a perfect record. UNLV, the tournament's host, had one game scheduled after Pacific's contest and were 4-0 entering the contest.
With the wind blowing out to dead center, the day was won with the timely hitting and a clutch three-run home run by junior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.) in the Tigers' final at bats.
The Tigers got things started in the top of the first inning as senior Lizzie Hagen (Anaheim, Calif.) went deep on the second pitch she saw to dead center field for a solo shot. Following the home run, senior Jennifer Curtier (Lancaster, Calif.) doubled off the center field wall and came around to score on an RBI single up the middle by sophomore Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.).
Despite taking the early lead, the Tigers were not able to hold on as the Thundering Herd responded in the bottom of the second inning as they scored a single run on an RBI single by Gina Guzzo. Marshall took the lead for good with a two-run shot to left field two batters later as Sarah Strong homered for the first time in her career.
An inning later, Marshall added to its lead as Folden homered for the first time in the game with a two-run homer to left field.
Pacific posted a single run in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to two runs, but again, Marshall extended its lead with a three spot in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of Folden's second home run of the game and third of the tournament.
However, as they did the night before, the Tigers mounted a late game comeback, culminating in an eight run seventh inning. In the sixth inning, Pacific posted a two spot in the inning as the Marshall defense committed their first error of the game to give the Tigers their two runs.
In the seventh, the Tigers again let their bats fly in the inning as they posted eight runs on seven hits while taking advantage of three Marshall errors in the inning. Hagen and Curtier got things started for the Tigers with back-to-back singles. Two Marshall errors posted Pacific's first two runs of the inning to cut the deficit to just a single run.
After struggling for most of the day, freshman Karie Wilson (Glendale, Ariz.) picked up her first hit of the of the game, singling home the Tigers' game tying run. With the game knotted at eight, Jorgensen stepped up to the plate with two on and unleashed a mamouth blast over the second wall enclosing the stadium and into the parking lot to give Pacific their first lead since and eventually giving the Tigers the win. The home run was Jorgensen's first career round-tripper. Curtier closed out the rally with a two run double to right center to give the Tigers the five run lead at 13-8.
In the bottom half of the inning, sophomore Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) finished things off for the Tigers as she recorded the final three outs in the circle, ending the game with a strike out of Christina Guillen.
Santos finished the game in the circle for the Tigers as she gave up just two hits in three innings of work while recording the single strike out to end the game. The win was her first of the season. Jorgensen started the game for Pacific but went just 2.1 innings pitched as she relinquished five hits and five earned runs. Sophomore Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) came in to relieve Jorgensen as recorded a line of five hits and three earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.
For the Thundering Herd, Abigale Harter suffered the loss for Marshall as she gave up 13 hits and 11 runs (eight earned runs) in 6.1 innings pitched. Up until the seventh inning, Harter had given up just two hits to the Tigers.
The Tigers will next be in action on Friday, February16 as they travel to Stanford, Calif. to take part in the Stanford Invitational.
