March 15, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - Renewing their rivalry with San Jose State, the Pacific softball team split a pair of 3-1 decisions with the Spartans on Saturday, March 15 at Bill Simoni Field. The split moved Pacific to 14-15 on the season while the Spartans moved to 15-17 overall.
A battle between the two starting pitchers in game one, junior Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) for Pacific and Deanna Mauer for San Jose State, came down to a pair of relievers late to decide the contest. With Engle and Mauer both exiting the game after 4.1 innings and having each given up just one run, it was San Jose State's Jennifer Ames who got the best of senior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.) to pitch the Spartans to the victory.
In 2.2 innings pitched, Ames allowed just one hit and struck out two to keep the Tigers at bay at the plate while her offense took advantage of poor defensive play in the field by Pacific to pull away.
In the circle, Jorgensen give up just three hits and two runs, both unearned, as she was saddled with the hard luck loss, her fifth of the season. Tied at one run, the Spartans rallied in the top of the sixth inning to plate both unearned runs. After a leadoff single by Kasey Igarta got the inning started, San Jose State got in position to score on a one out walk issued to Sarah Taylor. With runners at first and second, Brittany McConnell delivered a harmless single through the rightside and into rightfield.
However, a throw home by sophomore Brittany Hendrickson (San Jose, State) caused McConnell to break for second, thinking a play would be made at the plate despite neither of her lead runners making a move to advance. In the ensuing chaos with McConnell in a run down, Elizabeth Robertson, who had come into the game as a pinch runner for Igarta, broke for home, drawing an errant throw from freshman Nicole Matson (Castaic, Calif.) that allowed both Robertson and Taylor to score on the play.
Engle gave up four hits on the day while striking out three and walking four while Maurer relinquished six hits and struck out five while walking two.
After dropping game one on an error, the Tigers responded in game two, capturing their 14th win of the season, reversing the score from the previous contest. Making up for the defensive miscue in the early contest, Matson came out swinging in the second game, going officially 2-for-2 in the contest while scoring all three of the Tigers' runs.
Matson got the Tigers going in the second inning as she launched a 3-2 pitch from Roxanne Bejarano over the centerfield fence for her fifth homerun of the season. Her shot over the wall put her into a tie with sophomore Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) for the team lead in homeruns.
After seeing the Spartans tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third, Matson struck again, this time getting struck by a pitch to earn her way on base with one out in the inning. Back-to-back singles by Jorgensen and junior Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) would bring Matson around to score breaking the tie and putting Pacific ahead for good.
In the sixth inning, Matson led the Tigers to a third insurance run, leading the inning off with her third hit of the afternoon, singling through the leftside. After moving to second on a sacrifice bunt, Matson would be moved to third on the second single of the game by Santos. A passed ball would allow Matson to score the final run of the game.
With the offense plating three, junior Heidi Helberg (Brentwood, Calif.) held the Spartans in check from the circle, throwing five innings while giving up just one unearned run. In the sixth, Helberg got herself in a jam, putting the first two batters on base in the inning with no outs. With danger on the horizon, the Tigers went back to Jorgensen in the circle, a move that would pick up the senior the second save of her career, first since her freshman season.
In relief of Helberg, Jorgensen through two innings of no-hit softball, allowing just two runners on base via the walk while striking out two. With the save from Jorgensen, Helberg tallied her third win of the season, moving to 3-4 on the season in the circle.
Pacific will be back in action on Sunday, March 16, as they take on Cal State Bakersfield in double-header softball action at Bill Simoni Field. Game one is scheduled to begin at 12:00 pm.
