March 31, 2007
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Davis, Calif. After dropping game one of their doubleheader, the Pacific softball team stole game two from UC Davis to split the day at 1-1 on Saturday, March 31. With the split the Tigers moved to 23-12 on the season while the Aggies moved to 20-12-1.
The Aggies took game one 9-3 while the Tigers captured game two, 4-3.
Miscues and mental mistakes did the Tigers in in the opening contest of the three game series as Pacific committed five errors in the contest while allowing nine runs. The Aggies added to the Tigers pain as they knocked out 13 hits in the contest.
The Tigers found themselves down quickly in the opening game as the Aggies put two runs on the board in the first inning on a two-out, two-run home run by Deanna Menapace. Menapace hit her shot over the center field wall, driving home Mandi Salcido who had reached base on a single through the right side of the infield.
Two innings later Pacific evened the game at two runs apiece, taking advantage of two errors by the Aggies' second baseman to score two unearned runs. Sophomore Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was the beneficiary of the mistakes by UC Davis as she reached base due to the first error and advanced safely to second on when the Aggies muffed the throw to second on a fielder's choice. With runners on first and second, senior Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Wash.) pushed the runners into scoring position with a ground out to second base. Sophomore Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.) would do the damage for the Tigers after the Aggies sent senior Jennifer Curtier (Lancaster, Calif.) to first base via the free pass. Weyman singled up the middle with a bounding ball directly over second base, plating both runs for the Tigers.
With the game tied the wheels began to fall off for the Tigers in the field as Pacific uncharacteristically committed three errors in the field in the bottom of the second inning. With the miscues the Tigers handed back the two runs they had been given by the Aggies to fall behind 4-2.
From the third inning on the Aggies were able to post at least one run in every remaining inning as they scored one book ended a three run fifth inning with single runs in both the fourth and the sixth innings.
The Tigers would get one run back in the top of the fifth inning after Carbonatto hit a one-out triple down the right field line to get Pacific started. The Aggies would pick up the next out before loading the bases with back-to-back walks. Pinch hitting for the Tigers, freshman Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) would earn an RBI the hard way as she was hit by an errant pitch from Jessica Hancock to push in the Tigers' third run.
Sophomore Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) suffered the loss for the Tigers to fall to 12-8 on the season after winning her last four starts. For the game, Engle gave up six runs, four earned, on eight hits in four innings of work.
Hancock picked up the win for the Aggies as she threw a complete seven innings, relinquishing three runs on two hits.
The second game of the day came down to the final at bats for Pacific as the Tigers were able to steal the win from the Aggies in the top of the seventh inning.
After seeing their 2-0 lead slip away into a 3-2 lead for the Aggies the Tigers finally got on track in the top of the seventh inning, taking advantage of their speed to plate to runs in their final at bat to secure with the comeback win.
Junior Vianney Campos (Guadalajara, Mexico) started the inning off for the Tigers doing what she does best as she dropped a bunt down the third base line and easily beat out the throw for her first hit of the day. With Carbonatto at the plate, Campos would move herself into scoring position as she stole both second and third base to put herself just 60 feet away from tying the game. With a 3-1 count, Carbonatto came through with a single through the left side to plate Campos and tie the game.
Struggling at the plate and in the field for most of the day, senior Lizzie Hagen (Anaheim, Calif.) put everything behind her and put the Tigers in position to win with a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Carbonatto to second with one out in the inning. A wild pitch and another walk to Curtier put runners at first and third and set the Tigers up to once again take advantage of their speed with Carbonatto just 60 feet away from recapturing the lead for Pacific. Weyman, who had two RBI in the first game for the Tigers, stepped to the plate and executed a suicide squeeze play with Carbonatto that gave the Tigers' a 4-3 lead.
The one run lead would be all sophomore Heidi Helberg (Brentwood, Calif.) would need to secure the win for the Tigers as she relinquished just one infield hit in the inning before posting the third and final out of the inning for Pacific. The win was Helberg's first collegiate victory as she moved to 1-0 on the season after coming in to the game in relief of junior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.) in the top of the fifth inning. For the game, Helberg gave up just two hits in three innings of work while striking out two.
Jorgensen picked up the no-decision as she threw four innings before being relived by Helberg. She gave up just four hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out three. Jorgensen also knocked in the Tigers' first two runs of the game as she had a two-RBI double in the top of the first inning.
For the Aggies, Hancock picked up the loss in the circle as she came in the game in the top of the seventh inning in relief of Lindsay Tognetti. Hancock gave up the one hit to Carbonatto and gave up two runs, the game-tying run was charged to Tognetti. In six innings of work, Tognetti gave up four hits and three runs while striking out six for the Aggies.
The two teams will face off in the series rubber game tomorrow, Sunday, April 1, as they play at LaRue Field at 12:00 pm in a single contest.
