Long Beach State softball (9-4 overall) swept both games of a Saturday doubleheader against UC Davis (6-18 overall) and improved to a perfect 5-0 in Big West Conference play.
Long Beach came out swinging, hitting three straight singles to open the game. The team made it 1-0 off a sacrifice fly to right field by Suzy Brookshire, only to groundout and pop out to end the first inning.
Senior ace Kellie White started the game for Long Beach, her early season off to a strong start after only giving up four earned runs in the first month of play. She currently holds a Big West Conference best .75 ERA.
The Aggies put pressure on White early, setting up runners in scoring position in the first two innings. White responded and stranded runners without giving up a run.
Brookshire came to the plate in the third inning after consecutive hits and a walk, this time hitting the ball over the right field wall to make it a 4-0 ballgame. Her fifth homerun of the season ties her for most in the Big West Conference.
In the bottom of the third, the Aggies again put runners on, breaking through on a groundout to second base to make it 4-2 Long Beach.
A fifth inning rally by Long Beach included three straight hits, a two-run triple by junior Ashley Machado, an RBI double by sophomore Emily Salazar and an RBI single by junior Naomi Hernandez.
White pitched all seven innings of game one, giving up only three runs total on seven hits and five strikeouts to give Long Beach the 8-3 victory.
Game two saw Big West strikeout leader Kenedi Brown start for the Aggies against Long Beach starter Shannon Haddad.
The two lineups were stifled by pitching for the first four innings of the game, with each team only giving up a single hit.
Long Beach broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning after Salazar singled to left field and was brought in by an RBI double by Machado to right field.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Aggies threatened to score against Haddad, putting two runners on with a single and a fielder’s choice. Haddad stranded the runners by putting away the next two batters off a lineout and groundout.
Long Beach scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning with junior Kyra Snyder hitting a double to left field. She was brought in to score when Machado singled through the right side of the infield to make it 2-0 Long Beach.
Haddad pitched all seven innings and sealed the Saturday sweep with a 2-0 Long Beach victory. She improved to 4-0 on the season, giving up no runs and no walks, striking out six Aggies on the night.
The series finale between Long Beach State and UC Davis is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.