May 12, 2007

Box Score

San Luis Obispo, Calif. - The Pacific softball team closed out the 2007 regular season with a 2-0 loss at the hands of Big West Champion Cal Poly on Saturday, May 12. The loss dropped the Tigers 34-22 overall and 9-9 in conference action while the Mustangs improved to 39-15 in the regular season and 14-4 in Big West play.

Playing their final game of the 2007 regular season the Tigers found themselves on the wrong end of another pitching masterpiece by the Cal Poly pitching staff as Emily Hively nearly matched her teammate Robyn Kontra's performance from a day prior, holding the Tigers to just three hits in seven innings of work. Hively led the Mustangs to their second shutout of the Tigers on the weekend as she faced just four batters over the minimum required and held the Tigers without a hit for six straight innings.

Of the three hits it was Pacific's seniors that were able to find an answer to Hively as Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Wash.) led the game off with a single to center field while Jennifer Curtier (Lancaster, Calif.) led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle. Freshman Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) continued her strong finish to the 2007 season as she knocked a single down the left field line with two outs in the seventh inning to keep the Tigers alive for one more batter. Carbonatto's single to start the game was her 72nd hit of the season, breaking her won program single season record of 71 hits set back as a freshman. Curtier's single marked her 60th hit of the season.

For the Mustangs, all the offense they needed to capture the victory from the Tigers was produced in the bottom of the first inning as they were able to knock in two runs with two outs in the inning to take the lead they would never relinquish. A two out walk set the inning up for Cal Poly as the Mustangs delivered three straight singles to drive home the runs.

In the circle, sophomore Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) suffered the loss as she gave up just five hits through six innings of work, but found herself with no run support for the second straight game. Engle struck out two and gave up just two walks in her 32nd start of the year.

The NCAA Regional pool will be announced tomorrow, May 13, at 12:00 pm on ESPN News.