Feb. 18, 2007
Box Score
Stanford, Calif. - After dropping their first contests of the season the night before, the Pacific softball team rebounded in the final day of the Stanford Invitational to post a 5-3 win over Santa Clara on Sunday, February 18. The win moved the Tigers to 8-2 on the year while the Broncos fell to 0-10 overall.
The Tigers got on the board in the top of the first inning on a solo shot down the left field line by senior Lizzie Hagen (Anaheim, Calif.). Hagen took the 1-0 pitch deep down the line for her second home run of the season and 12th career round tripper.
Four innings later in the fifth inning, sophomore Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) went yard as well, hitting a deep shot into the bushes behind the left field wall. The home run was her second of the tournament and second of the season to give Pacific a 3-0 lead. The Tigers sandwiched a single run in between the home runs in the third inning on an RBI single down the left field line by freshman Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.).
What was a comfortable three run lead suddenly became a contest in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Broncos took advantage erratic pitching by Pacific's starting hurler, junior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.). After recording the first out of the inning, Jorgensen created her own jam in the circle as she walked a Bronco hitter with two runners on to load the bases for Santa Clara. After that, Jorgensen accidentally hit the next batter and walked the following hitter on a 3-2 count to plate the second run of the inning for Santa Clara. The damage could have been worse but a perfect throw from senior Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Wash.) in center field cut down a runner at the plate earlier in the inning.
Still up one, Pacific lost the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Tigers gave up a single run in the inning to knot the game at 3-3. Noelani Hoopii lined a shot down the left field line that cleared the wall to start the inning, forcing Jorgensen out of the game for Santos. Santos got into a jam later in the inning as the Broncos loaded the bases for the second consecutive inning, but was able to pitch her way out of the trouble and send the Tigers' up to the plate in the top of the seventh with a chance to take back the lead.
With the top of the order coming to the plate in the seventh the Tigers staged another late game rally as they were able to plate two runs in the inning to take the 5-3 lead and the eventual win. Carbonatto led things off with her first hit of the game and then moved to second on a single through the left side by Hagen. An error by the Broncos' first baseman allowed senior Jennifer Curtier (Lancaster, Calif.) to reach base safely and load the bases for Santos. Santos would help out her own cause with a sacrifice fly into right field that plated Carbonatto and gave the Tigers the one run lead. Pacific would tack on an insurance run on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt by sophomore Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.) to plate Hagen.
In the bottom of the inning, Santos shut down a potential threat as the leadoff hitter for Santa Clara doubled and worked her way to third before being stranded as Santos induced a fly to center field to end the game.
In the circle, Santos picked up her second win of the season as she threw two complete innings while giving up four hits and striking out one in relief. At the plate she finished a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored.
For the Broncos', Lauren Passafuime suffered the loss as she went two innings in relief and gave up two hits and two runs, only one being earned.
The Tigers will take a break from tournament play as they head to San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, February 24 to play a double-header with the Spartans. The first game begins at 12:00 pm.
