The Long Beach State softball team travelled to Las Vegas on Friday for a five-game series at the Easton Desert Classic, where it picked up two wins but also three games and dropped to .500 on the season.
Offense was what head coach Kim Sowder wanted her team to improve on coming into the tournament, but a 10-1 loss to Oregon in game one suggested problems beyond offensive production.
The 49ers (4-4) were still within reach of a win when No. 7 Oregon (8-3) was down to its final out in the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Erin Jones-Wesley ran into trouble recording the final out as the Ducks blasted a pair of three-run home runs to inflate their lead by nine.
Jones-Wesley pitched a third of an inning short of a complete game and struck out seven batters, but she gave up 10 earned runs.
The LBSU offense showed up in game two, erupting in three big innings to defeat Seattle (5-5) 16-9. The power surge was supplied by the bats of third baseman Hannah De Gaetano and catcher Karli Sandoval, who each hit a pair of home runs.
The 49ers’ win did not come comfortably, as they needed to overcome a 7-1 Redhawks lead by the second inning. Starter Amanda Hansen was pulled in the first inning after giving up four runs. Sophomore Arianna Erceg allowed three runs in relief, and junior Christian Carbajal gave up two runs but earned the win in her season debut.
Friday’s pitching meltdown was followed by an easier win in Saturday’s first game, as the Beach breezed past Nevada (5-5) 8-1. De Gaetano’s and Sandoval’s bats remained hot, as the pair led the offense with a combined five RBI. Jones-Wesley pitched her first complete game of the season and struck out a season-high 11 batters. The win was also a milestone for Sowder, who earned her 200th win as LBSU head coach.
In the back end of Saturday’s doubleheader the ‘Niners immediately jumped to an early 3-0 lead over Oregon State (8-3) on homers by Sandoval and designated player Ashley Holmes. The 49er bats went cold for the remainder of the game however, and the pitching staff didn’t help.
LBSU entered the fourth inning trailing 5-3, but they left facing an insurmountable 17-3 deficit that effectively ended the game. Pitchers Hansen, Carbajal, and freshman Selene Pola combined to surrender eight hits and 12 runs in the inning, including a grand slam by right-fielder Lea Cavestany. The Beavers went undefeated in the tournament at 5-0.
Jones-Wesley had a solid outing in the tournament’s final game on Sunday with 10 strikeouts, but the 49ers’ bats struggled in a 3-1 loss to Utah (4-6). It was the third of four games that the 49ers scored in the first inning-a feat that Sowder hoped to see the team do.
“I’d like to start out a little quicker on offense,” Sowder said earlier in the week. “I mean we did a really good job of bouncing back in both the games [at last week’s UCLA tournament]… but I’d like to start off the game that way. That’s the main thing.”
LBSU’s offensive adjustment resulted in getting outscored 40-29, but pitching added to the team’s struggles by posting a collective 9.03 ERA.
The ‘Niners will have a shorter week to make further adjustments before they open the Cathedral City Tournament on Thursday against Tennessee at 3:30 p.m.