SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The Pacific softball team earned a two-game split with Cal Poly and Nevada Saturday morning at the Mustang Classic.
 
Pacific 4, Cal Poly 3
 
Amiyah Aponte earned the start in the circle for the Tigers (7-15), pitching 5.2 innings allowing three runs on six hits. Aponte, who made her fifth start of the season, has been crucial to the Tigers' success. The sophomore from Riverside, Calif., lowered her earned-run average to 3.92 and is second on the team with 13 strikeouts.
 
Pacific took control early and gained a 3-0 lead after the first two innings of play. In the first inning, Rian Dirmeyer recorded the first game run on a Carly Lucchetti RBI single after tallying a one-out triple. Dirmeyer added a two-out RBI single later in the top half of the second inning to extend the Tigers' lead. Lucchetti and Dirmeyer tallied three of the seven hits for the Tigers during the game and have increased their season total to 46 hits combined.
 
Emily Budelli extended the lead for the Tigers in the fourth inning as she ripped an RBI single down the left-field line, scoring Kyla Eck from second base. Budelli, who is now second on the team in hits with 25, tallied two hits during the contest to increase her batting average to .362.
 
The Mustangs (3-14) made things interesting in the later innings, scoring three runs to cut into the deficit. In her eighth relief appearance this season, Bethany Hammer replaced Aponte in the circle and shut down the Mustangs' offense in the final 1.1 innings, only allowing one hit.
 
Nevada 4, Pacific 3
 
Pacific jumped out to an early lead in the top half of the first inning as Reagan Hamilton gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead. With Dirmeyer in scoring position, Hamilton slapped an RBI single through the left side of the infield, scoring Dirmeyer from second base.
 
The Wolfpack (5-16) quickly responded, tallying a run in the bottom half of the first inning to tie the game at one. The team took the lead in the third inning, adding their second run to gain a 2-1 advantage.  
 
The Tigers showed resiliency, bouncing back to tie the game in the fourth inning and regained the lead in the fifth inning. Nina Davis tallied her fourth RBI of the season, a single up the middle to tie the game at two. Budelli came up clutch in the next inning, punching an RBI single through the left side of the infield to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.
 
The Wolfpack ultimately won the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning, scoring two runs to walk off the Tigers.
 
"We played great softball today," Head Coach Brian Kolze stated after the split. "We had a chance to win both games but didn't play a clean seventh inning." "Overall, I was happy with our energy, our competitiveness, and focus."
 
Pacific returns to action on Sunday, March 13 as the Tigers once again face off against Cal Poly and Nevada on the final day of the Mustang Classic.