Feb. 10, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - At home for the first time in 2008, the Pacific softball team split a double-header with Saint Mary's on Sunday, February 10, taking game one, 6-1, before falling in game two, 10-8. With the split the Tigers improved to 1-3 on the season while the Gaels moved to 1-1 overall.
In the first game of the day, the Tigers got off to a fast start, burying the Gaels in a four run hole in the first inning that they would not be able to climb out of. Pacific's patience at the plate led to the big first inning as the Tigers were able to work four walks in the inning to go along with a monster grand slam from sophomore Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) to break open the game early. The homerun was the first of the season for the sophomore first baseman and would be just the beginning of a career day.
Up four in the first, the Tigers would tack on single runs in both the third and the fifth inning to give starting pitcher Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) all of the cushion she would need to pick up her first win of the season.
In the third inning, a one out walk to junior Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) started the ball rolling again for the Tigers as her free pass was followed by a pair of singles from sophomore Karie Wilson (Glendale, Ariz.) and junior Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.). With the bases loaded, freshman Lindsey Pierce (Camarillo, Calif.) delivered a two out single up the middle to score the Tigers' fifth run of the game. The single marked the leftfielders' first collegiate hit. The Tigers, however, would leave the bases loaded to end the inning.
In the fifth inning, sophomore Brittany Hendrickson (San Jose, Calif.), delivered a one out double down the rightfield line that would score Goldsand all the way from first base.
With her offense clicking, Engle pitched one of the most dominant games of her career, allowing just four hits and one unearned run while striking out a career-best 13 Gaels in seven innings of work. Engle started the game off strong, striking out the side in the first inning and seven of the first 12 Saint Mary batters. She went through just one inning without recording a strikeout (4th inning) and had multiple strikeouts in five of the seven innings. Engle finished off the game as she started the contest, striking out the side in the seventh to pick up the win.
After picking up their first win of the season in the opening game of the double-header, the Tigers found themselves down early in the second game of the day to Saint Mary's. In the first inning of the contest, the Gaels jumped on the board first, scoring a single run in the inning on an RBI double from Sandra Ruezga.
Pacific answered back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring an unearned run with two outs in the inning. Senior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.) picked up the lone hit in the inning for the Tigers with a two out single up the middle. She would come around to score the first run for the Tigers on a dropped pop up by the Gaels' shortstop in shallow leftfield on a ball hit by Kellee Wilson.
With the game tied, the Gaels pushed back in the top of the second inning, putting the Tigers down three runs with timely hitting as Saint Mary's posted five hits in the inning and sent eight batters to the plate. The four runs would push junior Heidi Helberg (Brentwood, Calif.), the Tigers' starter in game two, out of the game as she would be charged with all four runs while giving up five hits and three walks in 1.2 innings of work.
Once again trailing, the Tigers' responded in a big way in the bottom of the third inning as Kellee Wilson brought out the big stick for the second time in the day, blasting her second grand slam against the Gaels' to give the Tigers back the lead at 5-4. Wilson's slam, as it was in the first game, was setup by a pair of walks and a single by freshman Nicole Matson (Castaic, Calif.).
Up one, Pacific did not hold the its lead for long as the Gaels found some power of their own in two innings later, tying the game up with a solo shot to leftfield off of the bat of Sadie Dolcini. Before the homerun, Jorgensen had retired seven straight batters, five vie the strikeout.
Knotted at five, the Gaels would break the tie in the top of the seventh inning, pushing across five runs in the inning. Once again, timely hitting, walks and a home run would be the cause of the Tigers' woes as the five run inning was capped off by a three run shot to right centerfield by Megan Galloway.
Pacific would mount a rally in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs in the inning before succumbing to the Gaels. Again, Wilson sparked a charge in the Tigers with a double down the leftfield line that setup a second and third situation for Pacific with no outs after a lead off single from Jorgensen.
In the circle, Jorgensen was credited with the loss as she threw 5.1 innings of work in relief of Helberg, giving up six runs on seven hits while striking out seven.
For the day, Kellee Wilson posted three hits in seven at bats, with two grand slams and one double while driving in eight and scoring three runs. Goldsand and Karie Wilson each posted three hits as well on the day with Goldsand driving in two and scoring two runs against the Gaels.
The Tigers will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 15 as they take on Santa Clara at the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, Calif. The game is scheduled to begin at 10:00 am.
