Feb. 27, 2009
Box Score
Gainesville, Fla. - Pounding out a season-best 20 hits, the Pacific softball team pushed its winning streak to five straight with an impressive 11-2, six inning, win over Illinois on Friday, February 27. The win moved the Tigers to 6-5 overall while the Illini dropped to 11-5 on the season.
Continuing their hot hitting from the past week, the Tigers started strong against the Illini and never let up for six innings en route to their first win at the Cox Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. Throughout the game, all nine starters for the Tigers recorded at least one hit while seven of the nine recorded multiple hits.
In the top of the first the Tigers posted two runs to kick start the contest and spot starting pitcher senior Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) the early lead. The first hitter of the contest for the Tigers, senior Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.) kick started the offense with a slap single up the middle. After advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt, Goldsand came around to score the first run of the game on a double down the left field line by sophomore Nicole Matson (Castaic, Calif.). Matson's double came in unconventional fashion as she laced a shot down the line, off of the third base bag and into foul territory in left field.
With two outs in the inning, senior Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) kicked off her three hit outing with a single through the left side of the infield, plating Matson fo the Tigers' second run of the game. After an error and another hit, the Tigers potential big inning was cut short on the base paths as the Tigers third out of the inning came on an outfield assist by Jamie Adishian in center field on a play at the plate.
After scoring two in the inning, the Tigers would give one back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by Hollie Pinchback. The single brought home Adishian who doubled with one out in the inning to get the Illini their first runner.
Two innings later, Illinois struck again, taking advantage of back-to-back walks issued by Engle to the top of the Illini order. Despite giving up the run and seeing runs at second and third with only one out, Engle pitched her way out of the jam, the last she would encounter in the game.
Tied at two runs a piece, Pacific's offense went back to work in the top half of the fourth, plating three more runs and taking a lead they would not give back. Once again, the top of the Tiger order sparked the rally, pounding out four straight two-out hits to score the three runs. With Goldsand and freshman Paige Emerson (Rocklin, Calif.) aboard via the single, Matson lined a single into center field, driving in the final two of her three RBI in the game.
With Matson aboard, freshman Amanda Collier (Sparks, Nev.) stepped to the plate and lined a 2-0 pitch down the left field line and into the corner of the park where it bounced around and richotched back into left field away from the Illini left fielder. With the ball loose, Collier was able to leg out the Tigers' first triple of the 2009 season, plating the Tigers' fifth run of the game and her first RBI of the game.
Up 5-2, the Tigers busted the contest wide open in the top of the sixth inning, sending 11 batter to the plate and scoring six runs to take a nine run advantage and set up an earlier finish to the contest.
With Emerson leading off the inning for the Tigers, Pacific posted four consecutive hits for the second time in three innings, capped by a two-run home run off of the foul pole in left field by Santos. The home run was the first baseman's first of the season and finished off a 2-for-4 outing. Prior to the home run, the Tigers had Emerson single to start the inning off followed by doubles from Matson and Collier with Collier just missing her second home run of the season with a fly ball off the top of the wall in left field. Collier's double scored both Emerson and Matson, tallying her second and third RBI of the day.
After the first out of the day was recorded on a popup back to the pitcher, the Tigers continued their push in the inning with a single into right field by junior Karie Wilson (Glendale, Ariz.) and a double to left off the bat of senior Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.). A single into center off the bat of Goldsand plated the fifth run of the inning and also marked the turnover of the lineup back to Emerson. As she did to begin the inning, Emerson posted her second single of the game, this time an infield single to second base that scored the sixth and final run of the inning.
Spotted a nine run lead at 11-2, Engle closed out the Illini in the bottom of the sixth inning, inducing a pop-up to Goldsand at second for the final out of the game. Overall, Engle threw six innings to pick up her third win of the season. She scattered six hits and gave up two earned runs while striking out six in the game.
Offensively, the Tigers saw production from every member of their lineup with the top of the order, one through four, each posting three hits in the game. Matson, Collier and Santos led the way in run production as the middle of the order trio each drove in a game-high three RBI.
Collier finished the contest just a home run shy of the cycle for the Tigers as the freshman designated player went 3-for-4 with three RBI, on a single, a double and a triple. Her lone out came in her first at bat when she grounded out to the pitcher. However, the out was productive as it moved Matson from second to third and just 60 feet away from scoring.
Weyman, hitting in the eight hole for the Tigers, finished the day 2-for-4 with one run scored in her first start of the 2009 season after returning from injury.
For the Illini, Ashley Wright was tagged with the loss as she gave up 11 hits and five runs over just 3.2 innings of work. Offensively, Hope Howell and Pinchback each posted a pair of hits in three at bats while driving in one run a piece.
Pacific will play No. 2 Florida in its second game of the Cox Invitational at 4:00 pm (ET).
