April 25, 2009
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - After dropping the opening game of the series, 3-0, to UC Santa Barbara, the Pacific softball team rebounded in game two, winning 3-2, to even the series at one game a piece on Saturday, April 25. The double-header split moved the Tigers to 17-28 overall and 2-12 in conference play while the Gauchos moved to 22-22 overall and 5-9 in the Big West.
Looking to snap a five game skid heading into the weekend, the Tigers struggled out o the gate against the Gauchos in game one, handing UC Santa Barbara three runs in the top of the first inning with three defensive errors. After giving up a leadoff single to Christine Ramos, senior Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) appeared to be in control of the inning and the Gaucho lineup from the start. However, despite inducing ground balls, Engle could not get out of the inning as Pacific's defensive mistakes led to three unearned runs on only the one opening hit.
Despite the first inning issues, Engle continued to dominate the Gaucho lineup, retiring 11 straight batters from until finally relinquishing her second hit of the game, a single to Ramos in the fifth. Throughout the entire game, Engle gave up just three hits to the Gauchos while also striking out two and walking none.
However, as good as Engle was, Krista Cobb proved to be up to the challenge as the freshman pitcher matched Engle pitch for pitch throughout the game, giving up just three hits to the Tigers. Cobb held a no-hitter through the first three innings of the contest before giving up her first hit of the game to junior Kellee Wilson (Tracy, Calif.) in the fourth. Pacific's best chance to score came in the fourth as the Tigers loaded the bases with only one out in the inning, only to see Cobb pitch her way out of the jam as the Tigers left the bases loaded.
In the contest, Pacific left nine runners on base as Cobb improved to 15-8 overall with a complete seven inning shutout. For Engle, the senior hurler was tagged with the hard luck loss to fall to 7-13 on the year.
After struggling for hits and runs in game one, the Tigers' offense came alive in game two of the day, pounding out 12 hits in six innings of work against the Gaucho pitching staff. The Tigers put runners in scoring position in all six innings of play for the offense while putting a runner on third in each of their final five innings. However, the Tigers again struggled to bring in those runners as Pacific left 12 on throughout the day.
Even with the runners left on, the Tigers mustered enough offense to plate three runs in the game, snapping a nine inning scoreless drought against the Gauchos in the third inning of play on a leadoff home run from sophomore Nicole Matson (Castaic, Calif.). Pacific's power bat in the lineup finally got back into form after missing much of the last month due to injury with shot over the right-center fence to start the inning. For Matson, the home run was her team-best fifth of the season and Pacific's first long ball since March 21.
Leading 1-0, the Tigers added a second run in the bottom of the fourth inning, posting an unearned run after the Gauchos committed their second of three errors in the contest. After putting runners at first and second on a hit and an error, the Tigers got the decisive hit from senior Briana Santos (Garden Grove, Calif.) as the Tiger first baseman took a changeup from Melinda Masumoto to right-center, scoring sophomore Lindsey Pierce (Camarillo, Calif.) from second.
Posting their second run of the game proved important for the Tigers as the Gauchos struck back in the top of the sixth inning, plating a pair of runs to knot the game at 2-2. After cruising through the first five innings of play, freshman Michelle Tait (Mission Viejo, Calif.) got into her first jam of the game in the six, allowing a leadoff single and a two-run home run to Tiffany Wright, losing her two-run lead on one pitch.
Following the two-run home run, Tait gave up a third hit in the inning before giving way to freshman Gabby McDaniel (Sacramento, Calif.) who came in to stop the rally of the Gauchos. In trouble with runners at second and third with no outs in the inning after a Tiger error in the field, McDaniel pitched her way out of the jam by striking out the next two batters she faced while inducing a a ground ball to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Spurred on by the pitching effort of McDaniel, the Tigers immediately responded in the bottom of the inning, rallying with two outs in the inning to come away with the game-winning run they would need. With runners at the corners, Senior Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.) came through with a single through the left side, scoring Wilson from third to put Pacific back in the lead. With the run, McDaniel shut down the Gauchos in the seventh, capping the contest with her third strike out of the contest, getting Jessica Ziegler looking to end the game.
McDaniel improved to 3-9 on the year with the win in relief as she pitched a scoreless and hitless two innings for the Tigers with three strike outs and only one walk, on a hit batter. For Matsumoto, the Gaucho reliever was tagged with the loss as she gave up two runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings of relief.
Offensively, finished game two 3-for-3 at the plate, posting two singles, one double and one walk in four trips to the plate. Junior Karie Wilson (Glendale, Ariz.) dded three hits in four at bats for the Tigers while Santos finished 2-for-4.
The Tigers and the Gauchos will play the rubber game of their three-game series on Sunday, April 26 at Bill Simoni Field. The game is scheduled for 12:00 pm.
