The 49ers have won their last three games each by scoring in one inning, but the minimum is all they need when their pitchers pitch the way they have been.
Long Beach State (26-15, 8-2) starting pitcher Amanda Hansen (7-5) pitched her third consecutive complete game and shut out Cal State Northridge (15-24, 1-6) in a 1-0 victory Wednesday.
Hansen, who said she pitched through tonsillitis, said she still wasn’t satisfied with her effort. She credited the win to two standout defensive plays that each prevented a run.
“I was a little off today,” Hansen said. “I just wasn’t fully in it and I couldn’t yell and help cheer and stuff, so I felt I wasn’t helping the team enough, but defense definitely backed me up.”
Matadors left fielder Jennifer Tyler rounded third base after right fielder Crystal Maas doubled to centerfield in the fifth inning, but was thrown out at the plate by a strong throw by centerfielder Leilani Tupua-Tautalatasi.
After Hansen walked CSUN catcher Mikayla Thielges in the sixth, designated player Sydney House hit a long double past left fielder Emily Gregorio. More cautious than the previous inning, Gregorio’s quick recovery forced a sliding Thielges to retreat back to third base.
“Those big hits to the outfield were kind of scary,” Hansen said. “And then we made big plays… and that always helps when defense is on.”
Head coach Kim Sowder said she was very satisfied with the defense, which she said put together one of the best defensive outings she has seen all year.
“We were fortunate quite a few times. They hit the ball hard and right at us,” Sowder said. “[Hansen] did a nice job, got in a couple binds and was able to get out of it, so that was good to see.”
With their defense showing signs of improvement since their series last weekend against Cal State Fullerton, the 49ers’ offense is still a lingering problem. They have now scored in only one inning in each of their last four games.
“Of course I would like to put some more runs on the board,” Sowder said. “But at the end of the day it’s just getting the job done and finding a way to get the victory.”
The Beach’s only run was brought in on a bad throw to first base by second baseman Korinne Randazzo, which allowed Gregorio to score and Hannah DeGaetano to take second.
Solid pitching from Hansen and last week’s Big West Pitcher of the Week Erin Jones-Wesley, who pitched two complete games last weekend, has carried the team to an impressive 8-2 record in conference play so far.
The first of Hansen’s complete game streak was a 6-2 win over UC Riverside. She tossed her second in a 4-1 loss to Fullerton, with two of those runs allowed by LBSU’s defense in its three error game. She owns a 1.33 ERA in her last three games.
The ‘Niners will travel to Stockton for a three-game series against Pacific this weekend, with the first game of doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.