May 9, 2008
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Long Beach, Calif. - On the arm of senior Alyce Jorgensen (Los Altos, Calif.) the Pacific softball team upset No. 16 Long Beach State, 4-3, in nine innings in game one of their Big West doubleheader. The 49ers captured game two, 5-0, to even the series at one game a piece. The split moved the Tigers to 25-33 overall and 7-13 in conference action while the 49ers improved to 38-15 overall and 14-6 in the Big West.
With the win the 49ers secured at least a share of the Big West title and earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Showing their grit in the final weekend of the 2008 season, the Tigers came back from an early deficit and overcame a late rally by the nationally ranked 49ers to capture the opening game of the three game series. With Jorgensen dueling Long Beach State's Bridgette Pagano, the Tigers found themselves down 2-0 early, relinquishing a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning.
After putting the 49ers down throughout the first two innings, Jorgensen found herself in trouble in the third inning after issuing back-to-back free passes to start the inning. With two aboard, the 49ers loaded the bases on an attempted sacrifice bunt that came up empty for the Tigers, putting 49ers on every base with no outs in the inning.
In a jam, Jorgensen struck out Brooke LeSage to record the first out of the inning, however, she would not get out of the inning unscathed as Ashley Weber blooped a single into right field to notch the first run of the game. On the play, a Tiger error allowed the second run of the inning to score while putting runners at the corners. Despite the mishap, the Tigers averted further damage in the inning when junior Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.) helped her pitcher out by cutting down the potential third run of the inning at the plate on a ground ball hit to second. Jorgensen would get the third out of the inning by inducing a pop up to Goldsand to end the inning.
Down two, the Tigers immediately responded in the top half of the fourth inning, tying the game at 2-2 with a pair of runs of their own. Jorgensen helped her own cause in the inning with a leadoff single down the rightfield line. She would immediately come around to score the first run of the inning on a single through the leftside of the infield by sophomore Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) whose ball passed through the legs of Lacy Tyler in leftfield and rolled to the fence, allowing Jorgensen to score from first.
With the error, Wilson moved to second where she was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.). With the tying run just 60 feet from scoring, sophomore Karie Wilson (Glendale, Ariz.) picked up the RBI on a ground ball to second base.
After creating a new game with the score knotted at two, the Tigers took their first lead of the contest in the top of the fifth inning, scoring a single run to capture the 3-2 lead. A leadoff single by freshman Nicole Matson (Castaic, Calif.) paid off for the Tigers as Jorgensen set her team up to score the go ahead run with a double off the leftfield fence that put runners at second and third with no outs in the inning. Kellee Wilson added to her team lead in RBIs with her 40th of the season on a sacrifice fly to leftfield to put the Tigers ahead.
However, the 49ers would not go quietly as they mounted a rally in the final at bat of regular innings, using a leadoff double off the centerfield fence by Jonae Perez to score the game tying run and send the contest into extra innings.
In extra frames, Jorgensen set the 49ers down in order in the eighth, setting up the Tigers for their first extra inning win of the season. In the ninth, Pacific benefited from poor defense play in the field by the 49ers to score a single run, posting an unearned run that would prove to be the game-winner. In the bottom of the ninth, Jorgensen again put the 49ers down in order, closing the game in dramatic fashion with her fifth strikeout of the game.
In nine innings pitched, Jorgensen relinquished eight hits and three runs (two earned) to pick up her seventh win of the season. Pagano dropped to 13-11 on the year as she gave up six hit and four runs (three earned) while striking out one and walking two in nine innings of work.
After capturing the first game in dramatic fashion, the Tigers did not have enough to pick up the first day sweep of Long Beach State, succumbing to the 49ers in game two on a five run fourth inning.
Junior Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) drew the duty of dueling the conference's top pitcher, Brooke Turner, who entered the contest 24-4 on the season. Despite pitching well through the first three innings, Engle slipped up in the fourth, giving up four hits and five runs (four earned) all coming with two out in the inning.
An infield single, a bloop single, and an infield error showed signs of what was to come for the 49ers in the inning as they were able to load the bases with two outs in the inning. With the bases loaded, a walk started the bleeding for the Tigers while a hit batter and single and a two-run double by Jessica Beaver finished the Tigers off as they found themselves in an insurmountable hole against Turner.
With a fun run lead, Turner was able to keep the Tigers in check, scattering four hits throughout her seven innings of work as Goldsand had the most luck against Turner, knocking out two hits in three at bats. Pacific was not without its chances in the contest, putting runners on base in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings and a runner in scoring position in the sixth, only to come up empty handed.
In seven innings, Turner struck out eight while walking one to pick up her league leading 25th win of the season. For Engle, the junior hurler dropped to 15-18 on the year as she went 3.1 innings with four hits and five runs against while striking out three and walking four.
The Tigers will close out the regular season on Sunday, May 10 as they take on Long Beach State in the rubber game at 49er Softball Complex. The game is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
