May 3, 2008
Box Score
Santa Barbara, Calif. - With recent struggles continuing, the Pacific softball team dropped a pair of games at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, May 3. Pacific saw a late lead slip away in the early game, dropping game one 7-4, before falling 3-1 in game two. With the losses the Tigers drop to 23-32 overall and 5-12 in conference play while the Gauchos improve to 28-22 on the year and 11-6 in the Big West.
Threatening to score the entire game, the Tigers finally broke through with their first runs of the game in the top of the fifth inning, taking a four run advantage on the Gauchos on freshman Nicole Matson's (Castaic, Calif.) first career grand slam. The homerun marked the seventh of the season for the freshman shortstop while the four RBI gave her 30 on the year.
Pacific setup Matson's slam with a series of hits to start the inning, led off by senior Mandy Hickman's (Phoenix, Ariz.) single through the leftside of the infield. A single by sophomore Brittany Hendrickson (San Jose, Calif.) put two runners aboard before the Gauchos recorded their first out of the inning on a fielder's choice that retired the Tigers' lead runner at third.
Despite the first out of the inning, the Tigers continued to put pressure on UCSB when junior Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.) beat out a single to second base to load the bases. With the bases full of Tigers, Matson lifted a 1-2 pitch over the leftfield fence to put the Tigers ahead.
Up by four the Tigers appeared to be on their way to the opening game victory, however, the Gauchos stormed back into the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, denting the plate four times themselves to even the game at 4-4. Just as the Tigers had done an inning prior, the Gauchos strung together a line of hits to begin the inning, tallying four consecutive hits including three doubles to do most of their damage.
With the score tied at four, the Tigers had a chance to take back the lead in the top of the seventh inning, loading the bases for the second time in the contest, this time with only one out. However, unlike the fifth inning, MeLinda Matsumoto, struck out Matson and induced an inning ending ground ball to setup the Gauchos in the bottom half of the inning.
After holding the Tigers at bay in the top half of the inning, the Gauchos made Pacific pay for leavine the bases loaded in the top half of the inning, ending the game in dramatic fashion with a walkoff three-run homerun off the bat of Erika Hansen.
Junior Heidi Helberg (Brentwood, Calif.) picked up the loss for the Tigers in relief of senior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.). Helberg gave up three hits and three runs in 1.1 innings of work while walking one. Matsumoto improved to 8-9 on the year for the Gauchos as she threw a complete game. In seven innings, Matsumoto gave up six hits and four runs while walking four.
After capturing game one in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Gauchos used that momentum to propel them to an early lead in game two, capturing three runs in the first inning. Against junior Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.), UCSB sent all nine batters to the plate in the first, scoring all three runs with two outs in the inning. Once again, a string of hits, including back-to-back doubles by Trisha Duran and Hansen posted the first two runs of the inning. The Gauchos picked up their third run on a bases loaded walk after back-to-back batters were hit by Engle to load the bases.
Down three, the Tigers could muster just one run against Tami Weston, a massive shot off the bat of Jorgensen that cleared the leftcenter fence and landed on top of the batting cages which sit 30 feet behind the fence. Jorgensen's homerun came in the top of the sixth inning and marked her seventh long bomb of the season.
In the circle, Engle picked up the loss to drop to 14-17 on the year. Engle threw six inning while giving up six hits, three runs and two walks while striking out two and hitting two. Weston picked up her 10th win of the season to improve to 10-6 on the year. In seven inning of work, Weston relinquished five hits and one run while walking two and striking out five.
The Tigers will wrap up their three game set with UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, May 4 at the Campus Diamond in Santa Barbara, Calif. Game time is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
