April 5, 2011

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - After relinquishing a late lead, the Pacific softball team persevered while outlasting No. 23 Fresno State, 5-4, in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 5. The win for the Tigers moved their record to 22-12 on the year and 3-0 in extra inning affairs. For the Bulldogs, the loss snapped a seven-game winning streak and dropped their record to 22-9 overall.

With their lead erased and the momentum seemingly having abandoned them, the Tigers held tough as they weathered a late storm by the Bulldogs before prevailing in the fourth extra inning of play. For Pacific, it was the late inning magician from Sunday that sparked the game-winning rally in the 11th as freshman Kelsey Rodriguez doubled to left-center to start the inning. After moving to third on a sacrifice, Rodriguez would score the game-winning run on a chopper up the middle that was misplayed by the Bulldogs' shortstop. The chopper would have been a tough play to convert by the Bulldogs as the Tigers' fastest runner, sophomore Megan Hom, was the one who put the ball in play. However, an error was charged on the play making the run unearned while putting a tough end on an otherwise hard fought contest.

The predicament in the 11th came about for the Tigers after Fresno State was able to erase an early 4-0 lead by Pacific, including scoring two runs in the top of the seventh inning that would send the game into extra innings.

Pacific built its lead over the first three innings of play as the Tigers were able to plate a single run in the second before tagging the Bulldogs for three in the third. As she did in the 11th, Rodriguez was at the heart of Pacific's first run of the game as her heads-up base running led to the run. With a runner at first and one out, Rodriguez ground a ball to second that would go down as a fielder's choice as the Bulldogs cut down the lead runner at second. Not settling for what looked to be an unproductive out, Rodriguez stole second on the play as she took advantage of the Bulldogs losing focus in the field. With a wild pitch sending Rodriguez to third, freshman Taylor Petty made sure the Tigers would not waste the efforts on the bases as the third baseman roped a double to dead center that brought in the first run of the game.

An inning later, the Tigers would come knocking again as they sent Mackenzie Oaks, Fresno State's starter, packing with three runs. With an error giving the Tigers an extra runner to play with, the meat of Pacific's order came through with three straight hits as junior Nicole Matson and sophomore Nikki Armagost followed freshman Megan Foglesong's one-out gift to load the bases in front of sophomore Amy Moore. With one hit already in the books, Moore delivered yet again, driving in a pair of runs with a sharp single up the middle to put Pacific up three.

The hit would be the last given up by Oaks as she gave way to Michelle Moses, the reigning WAC pitcher of the week. Trying to find her groove, Moses would walk a pair of Tigers, including an RBI free pass to Petty, before quelling Pacific's rally and leaving the bases loaded. After giving up the free run, Moses held Pacific's potent offense in check, giving up just two hits over the next seven innings before the fateful 11th that would prove to be her downfall.

On the other side of things for the Tigers, Armagost started the contest with aspirations of knocking off her second top-25 team in the last week, but a late rally would push her from the game before a decision could be had. For three innings, Armagost kept the Bulldog offense dormant until a one-out, solo home run by Courtney Moore put Fresno State on the board and started the comeback. An inning later, the Bulldogs would chip away another run off of Pacific's lead when Rebecca Hall and Haley Gilleland lined back-to-back doubles to plate a second run.

After a scoreless sixth, Armagost began the seventh with a strike out to put Pacific two outs from the victory. However, the next three batters would reach base safely to load the bases for Fresno State. Inducing a comebacker from Moore, Armagost picked up the second out of the inning by cutting down the lead runner at the plate. Despite the first out the Tigers would give up a run on the play in an attempt to pick up the double play as the throw to first struck Moore in the back allowing both runners in front of the play to advance a base. With a runner at third and two outs and down to their last strike a batter late, Caitlin Stiglich produced the game-tying run with a single to left that would force the game into extra innings.

For Armagost, the single to Stiglich would be her last batter faced as the sophomore gave way to freshman Tori Shepard (9-4), the reigning Big West pitcher of the week, who would finish the game for the Tigers. Shepard, threw 4.1 innings of relief for the Tigers as she gave up four hits and pitched out of three jams before earning her ninth win of the season. Not only did Shepard strand runners at second and third in the seventh, she faced runners at second and third with only one out in the eighth and a runner a second in the 10th before pitching her way out of trouble.

The loss was charged to Moses (8-7) as she gave up her one unearned run after 8.1 innings of relief. For Moses, the run snapped a 28.1 inning scoreless streak in the circle as she relinquished three hits and three walks while striking out seven in relief of Oaks. Oaks was charged with four runs, two earned, on seven hits in just 2.1 innings of work.

The Tigers head back into Big West Conference action on Saturday, April 9, as they travel up the road to Davis, Calif. to take on the Aggies of UC Davis. The first game of the opening double header is scheduled for 12:00 pm.