LBSU 6, UCSB 5 F/13
A marathon game at the 49er Softball Complex ended with delight as the Long Beach State softball team snuck by UC Santa Barbara, 6-5, in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader at the 49er Softball Complex.
Reigning Big West Conference Player of the Week Sarah Carrasco hit a bloop single into shallow right field to score freshman Hannah De Gaetano for LBSU’s (32-15, 10-4 Big West) walk-off run in bottom of the 13th inning.
“It was an emotional rollercoaster,” LBSU head coach Kim Sowder said.
A two-run sixth inning allowed UCSB to tie the game at 4, and with neither team able to put runs on the board, the game went into extra innings.
LBSU left 13 base runners stranded, including a golden opportunity in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out.
Senior Brooke Turner gave up two runs in the second, but appeared to settle down until the sixth. She gave up four earned runs on six hits, while striking out two.
Junior Taylor Petty pitched two solid innings of relief, striking out three and giving up one hit.
However, freshman Erin Jones-Wesley (18-5) pitched the final five innings of the game to pick up her second win of the day. She finished with four strikeouts.
Jones-Wesley nearly took the loss, though, when she gave up a run in the 11th on a double by Gauchos right fielder Allison Taylor.
The Beach was able to respond in the bottom half when De Gaetano hit her third career home run – a blast that went well over the left field fence.
“We found a way to come back,” Sowder said. “This team has showed a lot of character.”
Sowder was thankful for the win, saying it would have been a heartbreaking loss had the 49ers not won the game.
“Emotional and mentally, we really needed this one,” Sowder said. “We’ve had a couple of really heartbreaking losses this year.”
The Beach will play its final game against the Gauchos on Sunday at the 49er Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Next weekend, the 49ers will face Cal State Fullerton, with games televised on ESPNU.
LBSU 5, UCSB 0
The Long Beach State softball team saw few opportunities to beat UC Santa Barbara, but took advantage of each in a gritty 5-0 victory Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader at the 49er Softball Complex.
Despite only getting only five hits, LBSU used their opportunities wisely, with each hit either setting up or resulting in a run.
“We did a really nice job offensively in that game,” Sowder said. “We put pressure on [UCSB] throughout the whole game.”
The Beach didn’t need a hit to score their first run, with De Gaetano leading off the first inning by being hit by a pitch. Sophomore Caitrin DeBaun followed up by bunting De Gaetano to second.
With one out, Carrasco hit a hard ground ball that bounced off Gauchos’ shortstop Jessica Beristianos for an error, which scored De Gaetano.
The 49ers would not get another hit until the third, with Caitrin DeBaun slapping a solid single to center field. A walk and an out later, senior Liz Javier hit another single up the middle, scoring DeBaun. The throw to the plate would advance both LBSU runners to second and third.
Senior first baseman Christina Schallig then belted a double to the wall in left center, scoring sophomore Nalani St. Germain and Javier.
“We’ve been having some really clutch hitting,” Sowder said. “We have some players that have been really hitting the ball well.”
St. Germain added the fifth LBSU run in the fourth by hitting a double to right to score DeBaun, who had her second hit of the game on her own double.
Meanwhile, Jones-Wesley turned in her tenth shutout, despite only retiring batters in order in one inning. She gave up five hits on five strikeouts, while surrendering five walks.
“Erin didn’t have her best stuff today,” Sowder said, “But she found a way to get out of a lot of jams.”
Krista Cobb (12-10) took the loss for the Gauchos, giving up four earned runs on five hits, while striking out two.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.