STOCKTON, Calif.- The Pacific softball team took all three games against CSU Bakersfield over the weekend, finalizing the sweep with a 4-3 edge out victory over the Roadrunners in extra innings.
 
"Once again, the pitchers did a great job keeping us in the game and battling through some traffic. The defense, again, did a phenomenal job going errorless. Offensively, we put a lot of things together, we jumped out and then got a little low, but then we started putting on runners," head coach Brian Kolze shared after the win. "Again, I felt like we just had to keep doing that, hitting balls hard, moving them along, bunting, sacrificing and sooner or later something was going to go our way and it did. Really proud of the kids for battling all weekend and getting all three games. They did a great job through all three phases this weekend."
 
The Tigers (8-15) improved to 4-4 at home after the three-win weekend. It was the Tigers first three-game series sweep since 2018, when Pacific claimed three wins over San Diego at home. The last time the Tigers swept a series against a non-conference opponent was in 2013 over UC Riverside.
 
Sophomore Olivia Silvestre led the Tigers with two hits, a run, one RBI and two stolen bases. Junior Delaney Scully added two hits, one run and a stolen base, while leading all Tigers with eight putouts. Eight Tigers in total recorded a hit in the eight inning contest on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Asia Lee recorded two hits and a run alongside Silvestre and Scully.
 
Senior Amiyah Aponte earned the start from the circle, cataloging 3.0 innings pitched and facing 14 batters. She struck out two while allowing three hits and two runs. Freshman Justice Alcaraz also made an appearance, pitching through 2.0 innings facing eight batters while allowing three hits and one run. Senior Avery Croxall recorded her third win of the season, pitching the rest of the way through the final 3.0 innings. She faced nine batters, while striking out two without allowing a hit or a run.
 
After a CSU Bakersfield home run in the top of the fourth inning tied the game 3-3, the Tigers were able to break through in the bottom of the eighth inning to ice the game. With two runners on base, junior Talissa Montez went for the sacrifice bunt to advance junior Emily Budelli to third and sophomore Jordan Hayes to second. 
 
Freshman Victoria Martinez Lloyd faced one out stepping up to the plate as a pinch hitter. With a 1-0 count, the freshman reached on a Roadrunner error and Budelli scored the go-ahead run to edge out CSU Bakersfield 4-3.
 
The Tigers return to Bill Simoni Field on Thursday, March 12 at 2 p.m. to take on North Dakota State.
 
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