Softball Shut Out in Game One, Loses Wild Game Two on Final Day of So-Cal Smash Tourney
February 23, 2007

Complete Box Scores »»  vs. Dixie State     vs. Southern Oregon

After a good second day of the So-Cal Smash, the CSUSM softball team couldn't keep up the momentum, losing both its games on the third and final day. The squad, in dropping contests to Dixie State, 8-0, and Southern Oregon, 16-13, is now 2-13 in its inaugural season of play.

A talented Dixie State (16-6) squad dispatched the Cougars easily in game one, winning 8-0 in 5 innings. They jumped on starter Melissa Lerno early, pushing a run across the plate before the the Cougars could record an out. Another run came across in the first, making the score 2-0.

The Cougar lineup, which has hit generally well throughout the event, couldn't get anything going off Dixie State starter Ashlee Olson. Olson was efficient in her five innings of work, allowing just four hits without walking anyone.

The lead was pushed to 4-0 in the third, thanks to a leadoff single and a two-run homer by Amy Gleicher. It is the second two run shot Gleicher has hit off Cougar pitching in as many games.

With the game well in hand, Dixie State ended it early in the fifth. A one-out double scored a run and put runners on second and third, and knocked Lerno out of the game. Erica Coelho was brought in to pitch, but couldn't replicate yesterday morning's game-saving performance - she was greeted with a single that scored both runs, and eventually another run crossed the plate to make the score 8-0, and invoke the mercy rule.

Game two was a much more wild affair, with the Cougar bats coming alive in full force. Unfortunately, Southern Oregon brought just a little more hitting, and held on to defeat CSUSM 16-13.

The Cougars jumped out to the early lead in the first, with Danielle Tucker leading off with a double. She was driven in by Elizabeth Bush, who herself scored on a two-out Samantha Valenzuela single.

Cougar starter Erica Coelho started off very strong, retiring the side in order in the first and getting out of a bases-loaded one-out jam in the second. But CSUSM couldn't take advantage, also leaving the bases loaded in the second, while pushing just one run across on a bases loaded walk.

Coelho would allow one run in the third, and pitch a scoreless fourth. With the Cougars holding onto a 3-0 lead entering the fifth, everything seemed to be going CSUSM's way.

But then Southern Oregon, who was winless on the year entering this game, came alive in a big way. Four straight singles greeted Coelho in the fifth. A costly error then allowed a run to score, and another single knocked Coelho out of the game. The damange was far from over, as Lerno was met with a bases loaded walk and run-scoring single. After a strikeout and flyout, it looked as if the Cougars could escape with a chance to come back. But that door was apparently slammed shut with a grand-slam by Southern Oregon rightfielder Archambault.

When the dust settled, 11 runs had crossed the plate.

Undeterred, the Cougars made a valiant comeback effort. RBI's by Amanda Sanchez and Lerno brought the score to 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Then in the sixth, CSUSM seriously got back in it with a four-run inning. A leadoff double by Leilani Madrigal and single by Tucker put runners in scoring position for Coelho, who capitalized with a run-scoring single. After Bush was walked to load the bases, a Tasha Stokes sac fly brought home another run. Sanchez and Valenzuela would bring in the final two runs of the inning to make it a two-run ballgame.

Southern Oregon would pull away, however. A five-run seventh was highlighted by a bases-clearing double by Archambault, giving her 7 RBI on the day. The Cougars didn't go down without a fight, scoring 4 in their half of the 7th. But with the bases loaded and the winning run at the plate, a strikeout ended the game at 16-13.

Despite the loss, plenty of Cougars had very good days at the plate. Elizabeth Bush was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI's and 4 runs scored; Danielle Tucker was 4-for-5 with 3 runs scored; Erica Coelho and Leilani Madrigal scored a pair of runs each; and Tasha Stokes, Amanda Sanchez, and Samantha Valenzuela all recorded multiple RBI's.

At 2-13, the Cougars will have some time to recover after their first multi-day road trip, and be back at home to take on Dominican University on March 4th at 1:00 PM.