CS BAKERSFIELD 3, IOWA 0
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Sophomore Sammy Rodriguez continued her magical transformation from starting shortstop to starting pitcher, hurling her first collegiate shutout in a 3-0 win over Iowa Saturday at the Matador Invitational in Northridge.
CSUB (7-8 overall) won its fifth consecutive game, matching its longest win streak at the NCAA Division I level. Iowa fell to 8-9 with the loss. Rain wiped out the rest of Saturday's scheduled tournament action, including CSUB's game against Santa Clara.
Rodriguez, however, was the story once again. Her first shutout was a three-hitter to boot. She fanned five Hawkeyes and walked just one while improving to 5-3 on the season.
Senior right fielder Danielle Lyman gave her all the run support she would need in the fourth inning. Pinch runner Chelsey Bell deftly slid around the tag of Iowa catcher Liz Watkins following Lyman's single up the middle.
CSUB added two insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI grounder from freshman Karlee Rodgers and run-scoring single from senior second baseman Kristen Archuleta.
The Roadrunner offense finished with eight hits, including an extra-base hit for the ninth consecutive game (Jill McClelland's two-out double in the third), but defense proved to be the difference Saturday. CSUB made a handful of highlight worthy defensive plays, including Rodriguez using lightening quick reflexes to corral a pair of hard comebackers and Archuleta robbing Watkins by diving to her left to snare a line drive in the seventh.
But the play of the game came with Iowa threatening to break open a scoreless tie in the third. With runners on first and third and one out, Hawkeye right fielder Taylor Leichsenring hit a hard chopper to short. Heather Veitch made a good play to field the ball and throw home, where catcher Jaimey Kleinsmith made an even better one, smothering a low throw then blocking plate to stone Johnnie Dowling on a bang-bang play.
The 'Runners will wrap up tournament play Sunday morning with a game against Santa Clara at 9 a.m. CSUB's scheduled 3 p.m. game with host Cal State Northridge will not be played.
CREIGHTON 6, IDAHO STATE 1
Tempe, Ariz. --- The Creighton Blue Jays hit three home runs, accounting for five of their six run, spoiling another solid effort by the Bengals as ISU went down 6-1 in their third game of five in the Wilson/DeMarini Classic at Arizona State.
The game was one of missed opportunities for the Bengals, as they totaled 11 hits and left 15 runners on base in scoring just once. Creighton meanwhile went deep three times over the fourth and fifth innings to put ISU out of reach.
Up 1-0, Nora Maschue for the Bengals was cruising along, having not allowed a hit through three innings, including a 1-2-3 strike out of the side in the second, but she would never get out of the fourth. Ranae Sinkler tied the game with a leadoff homer, her sixth of the year, and Maschue then walked Michelle Koch. After a sacrifice and a strikeout, it looked like Nora would get out of the inning relatively unscathed, but Amy Baker hit a pinch hit two-run home run to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead on only two hits.
The Blue Jays followed with back-to-back singles to chase Maschue, and a third straight single, this off of reliever Kandis Clesson, made it 4-1. Clesson then allowed a two-run homer in the fifth to complete the scoring.
The Bengals had plenty of chances, but could only muster one run, that coming in the third on an RBI double by Jocelyn Horton that plated Brittany Olsin. ISU had great chances for more runs in the second, third, and seventh, but left the bases loaded all three times. In all, ISU left 15 runners on base, and eight in scoring position as ISU went just 5-for-21 with runners on base.
Horton led the hit parade for ISU with a 3-for-4 day, and Emily Hu was 2-for-4. Maschue took the loss, allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings of work with four strikeouts, while Clesson allowed two earned in 3.1 innings.
NOTES: Megan Miller tied the school record by hitting safely in 15 straight games dating back to last season, and her streak of 10 straight to start the year is a school record ... Maschue dropped to 0-4 on the season ... Olsin started at catcher, but left the game along with first baseman Courtney Darby after they collided on defense.
NORTHERN IOWA 2, IDAHO STATE 0
Tempe, Ariz. --- It took Kandis Clesson about four batters to get comfortable, and unfortunately it was a little too late, as Northern Iowa scratched single runs in each of the first two innings to nip Idaho State 2-0 in ISU's fourth game of the Wilson/DeMarini Classic at Arizona State.
Clesson was masterful after those first four batters, but ISU couldn't get any semblance of offense against UNI's Jen Larson, who entered the game with a 4-1 record and two shutouts. The Bengals could only scratch out four hits; three singles and a double by Desirae Hoffman. Even the venerable hitting machine Megan Miller was stymied, ending her 15-game hitting streak.
Northern Iowa loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the first on single, a double, and a fielder's choice in which no one was put out, and then a single by Eranna Daugharthy plated the first run, but from there, Clesson was nearly unhittable. She got out of that bases loaded jam by striking out the side swinging, and then she allowed an unearned run to score in the second on a ground out, but that was it.
All told, Clesson allowed just six hits, three after the first, and one earned run while striking out seven.
Idaho State however was never able to solve Larson in her third shutout of the year. ISU ne3ver got more than one runner on base in any inning, and never had a runner advance as far as third. Even with all that, Jessica Baca's leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh game ISU some life, but they couldn't capitalize as Shelby Ford fouled out, Terah Blackwell grounded out, Jocelyn Horton fouled out to end the game.
ISU got singled from Taylor Marchione in the fourth and sixth, and Baca's in the seventh, and Desirae Hoffman doubled in the third, but nothing more.
Idaho State concludes the Wilson/DeMarini Classic on Sunday morning against Samford before traveling to Tuscon to take on #2 Arizona later in the day.
NOTES: Clesson threw her fourth complete game of the season and lowered her ERA to 3.99 ... after allowing a home run in each of her last four games, the only extra base hit off of her was a double in the first inning ... Taylor Marchione now has the longest current hitting streak on the team with six straight ... Marchione was caught stealing, making ISU just 4-for-8 in stolen bases, while their opponents are 28-of-34.
GAME 1- NO. 13 CALIFORNIA 7, PORTLAND STATE 0
GAME 2- UNLV 9, PORTLAND STATE 0
LAS VEGAS – Two days in Las Vegas, considerably different results for the Portland State softball team.
One day after exploding for 19 runs and 27 hits in two games, the Portland State bats fell silent and the Vikings were blanked 7-0 by No. 13 California and 9-0 by UNLV at the Eller Media Stadium Tournament.
The morning started off with Cal pitcher Valerie Arioto throwing a complete-game three-hitter. The junior righty struck out 10 and walked two in improving to 8-2.
California (14-4) scored a pair of runs in the second and then added three more in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Golden Bears finished with 12 hits, getting three each from Jamia Reid and Frani Echavarria. Reid also stole four bases.
Portland State's three hits came via singles by Brandi Campos, Sadie Lopez and Brandi Scoggins.
Tori Rogers (2-4) suffered the loss after giving up 10 hits and five earned runs over five innings. She walked one and struck out three.
Things didn't get much better for the Vikings against host UNLV. The Rebels led 4-0 after two innings of play and then cruised from there in picking up the 8-0 victory. The game was halted in the fifth due to the mercy rule.
The Rebels went up 7-0 in the fourth after Kendall Fearn hit a bases-clearing double to center field. The game ended in the bottom of the fifth when Jaci Hull doubled to left field, scoring Amber Petersen from second base.
UNLV sophomore Jessica O'Conner scattered three hits and struck out five in moving to 3-1 on the season.
Anna Bertrand (4-3) started and took the loss after allowing seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. Only two of the runs were earned, though. Bertrand struck out five and walked three.
Scoggins doubled for one of PSU's three hits. It was her 10th hit at the tournament, including her third double. She now has a seven-game hitting streak going.
Arielle Wiser and Alexa Morales had the other two hits for PSU.
The two losses dropped the Vikings to 6-10. UNLV improved to 11-7.
Portland State closes out the three-day tournament by playing New Mexico State tomorrow at 10 a.m. The game can be heard on GoViks.com
NOTES: Scoggins moved into a tie for third place in career doubles at PSU with 34. She reached base all three times against Cal, which meant she reached base safely in each of her first 11 plate appearances at the tournament. She is 10-for-14 over the four games ... The Vikings were held scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time this year ... In two games against PSU this season, Reid went 6-for-8 with six stolen bases ... Including pitching two scoreless innings of relief last night, O'Conner held PSU to four hits and no runs over seven innings of work.
SEATTLE FALLS TWICE IN HAWAI’I
HONOLULU, Hawai’i – The Seattle University softball team’s offense struggled to garner enough momentum to work towards their second win of the 2010 campaign Saturday afternoon. In day two of the Bank of Hawai’i Invitational, SU dropped a 9-0 decision to East Carolina, in their early game, and fell 12-0 to No. 1 the University of Washington to close out the day.
Game 1: East Carolina 9, Seattle 0
The Redhawk offense was stymied by an aggressive hitting East Carolina team, as they fell 9-0 in fiving innings in their second game of the Bank of Hawai’i Invitational. SeattleU only managed to get off one hit versus the Pirates, while ECU tallied 10 in the game. SU’s lone hit came from offensive leader Jessica Amador.
The junior catcher singled to left center with one out in the top of the fourth. Despite having their first base runner of the game, since Megan MacIssac’s game opening walk in the top of the first, the Redhawks were unable to put any offensive rhythm together. The East Carolina pitcher Faith Sutton had SU’s number, as she threw nine strikeouts and only gave up two walks.
On the defensive end, SeattleU struggled to silence the hot hitting Pirates. SU’s pitching combination of Jessica Ulrich and reliever Kelsey Reynolds each had a strikeout during their time on the mound. At the plate, ECU was led by Marina Gusman-Brown and Priscilla Velasquez, who each had a hit and a pair of RBIs.
Game 2: No. 1 Washington 12, Seattle 0
SeattleU’s day did not get any better when the faced off with the top-ranked team in the country, the No. 1 Huskies of Washington to close out action on Saturday. The Redhawks fell 12-0 in five innings to the cross town foe. Theresa Clark was credited with SU’s lone hit on the day to the Huskies 11.
Washington took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first and solidified it with 11 runs in the second inning. Behind three SeattleU errors and a three run home run from Danielle Lawrie, UW took a double-digit run lead on the Redhawks in two innings of play. SU was unable to dig themselves out of the run deficit and fell in five.
Relief pitcher Reynolds did strikeout three Washington hitters in 14 batters faced.
With the pair of losses, SU falls to 1-11 on the season. They will conclude the three day tournament with a pair of games on Sunday, Mar. 7. Opponents and times have yet to be announced.