April 16, 2011

Box Score

Northridge, Calif. - On a blazing hot day in Northridge, Calif., the Pacific softball team managed just a split on the road with Cal State Northridge on Saturday, April 16. In the first contest the Tigers pounded out 17 hits en route to the 9-7 victory before being held to just two hits in game two to fall 5-3. The split for the Tigers moved their record to 26-14 overall and 5-3 in the Big West while the Matadors improved to 15-25 and 3-5 in the conference.

Opening the day with a bang, the Tigers posted four runs in the top of the first inning to put themselves on their way to a big first game at the plate. In the inning, junior Nicole Matson bombed her eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot to dead center to give the Tigers their first runs of the game. The home run was her 21st career shot moving her into sole possession of fourth place in Pacific history. Adding two more runs in the inning, freshman Kesley Rodriguez picked up a two-RBI single up the middle three batters later.

After sending nine to the plate in the first the Tigers repeated their feat in the second while Matson nearly missed her second home run of the game with a RBI double off the wall in right. Not to be outdone, sophomore Amy Moore blasted her fifth home run of the year two batters later as she picked up a three-run home run to give the Tigers an 8-2 lead.

The Tigers would tack on a ninth run in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI double by sophomore Megan Hom but that would be all for Pacific despite threatening for more late. Pacific stranded 13 on base in the contest, leaving the bases loaded in both the sixth and the seventh innings which allowed the Matadors a glimmer of hope which they used to steal the momentum for game two.

Ending the first game with five runs in the bottom of the seventh which made a blowout turn into a close contest, the Matadors ran with momentum and took game two, scoring five runs on nine hits while keeping Pacific at bay. Cal State Northridge used a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings to do the bulk of their damage while a single insurance run in the sixth proved to be unneeded as the Tigers managed just three runs in the game.

Keeping the Tigers' bats quiet throughout the game was Mia Pagano who took a no-hitter into the sixth before a pinch-hit single by sophomore Amanda Collier broke up the flawless bid and led the Tigers to three runs. However, despite scoring three runs in the inning, the Tigers left the game on the table in the inning as five routine groundballs with the bases loaded kept Pacific from breaking through while a pair of errors and a hit batter gave the Tigers their trio of runs.

Doing the damage for the Matadors in the second game of the day was the nine and one hitters as Kristen Mihm and Jennifer Mosier combined to go 6-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBI.

Pitching for the Tigers in game two, freshman Tori Shepard suffered her second straight loss in conference action as she gave up nine hits and five runs, four earned, in six innings. The freshman struck out three and walked two to fall to 10-6 overall.

Earlier in the day, sophomore Nikki Armagost picked up her 12th win of the year and third straight conference victory as she gave up six hits and just two runs, one earned, in 6.2 innings of work. Statistically unable to pick up a win and a save, Armagost made two appearances in the game as she reentered her own game in the bottom of the seventh with four runs across, a runner at second and only one out to close the contest in the win column for the Tigers.

Offensively, Matson posted a whopping .778 on-base percentage as she was 3-for-5 with a walk and three hit by pitches. Armagost and Rodriguez each tallied three hits in the game with Rodriguez tallying a .714 on-base percentage in the two contests. Freshman Gabby Goyette picked up her first collegiate hit in game one when she singled down the right field line coming in as a pinch-hitter for Pacific.

The two teams will face off in the series rubber-game on Sunday, April 17 at 12:00 pm at Matador Diamond.