Heartbreak: Softball Suffers Brutal Game One Loss in Getting Swept by Biola
March 31, 2007

Complete Box Scores »» Game 1   Game 2

Saturday’s Cougar softball games were not for the faint of heart, as CSUSM suffered a brutal 5-4 loss in game one before bowing out 11-1 in game two.

Finishing games has been a problem all year for the Cougars, and Saturday unfortunately provided the most recent – and most painful – example of this. With two outs and nobody onin the 7th, CSUSM held a commanding 4-1 lead – yet when all was said and done, it was Biola who walked away the game one winner.

From the first pitch right up until that point, the Cougars were in control of the contest. Starter Melissa Lerno was spotting her pitches brilliantly, and few Biola hitters could catch up to her fastball. She struck out 6 on the day, and had allowed just 3 hits when the 7th inning started.

Meanwhile, the Cougar lineup had no such early trouble with Biola starter Katie Gustaveson. CSUSM got on the board for one in the first, when Tasha Stokes blooped a two-out single over the shortstop’s head to drive home Danielle Tucker.

The Cougars expanded the lead in the 3rd, thanks to a towering opposite-field RBI triple by Holly Russell. Russell was then driven in on an infield single by Elizabeth Bush.

Biola made it a 3-1 game in the 5th, but Lerno was able to strand a runner on third to limit the damage.

The 6th inning proved to be a crucial one for the Cougars, though it wasn’t apparent at the time. With two outs and pinch runner Aly Brown on second, Leilani Madrigal sliced a triple down the left field line. Madrigal, however, wasn’t satisfied with three, and made a daring attempt to score. Though it appeared to everyone that she slipped under the tag, the umpire called her out, ending the inning.

Of course, at the time that was just thought to be an insurance run, with the Cougars holding a comfortable 4-1 lead. Lerno recorded the first two outs in the 7th, though it appeared she was running on fumes.

The rally started with an Amanda Kesterson single to center, which was followed up with a Sarah Jensen base hit. Star hitter Lindsey Nuckolls then ripped a ball to shortstop, and though Holly Russell was able to corral it with a diving effort, she could not get an out.

That brought Keena Levert to the plate. Lerno got ahead 0-1, but her next offering was crushed to the right centerfield wall. Not only did it clear the bases, but Levert herself came around to score the go-ahead – and eventual game winning – run when the throw home was dropped by the catcher.

Game two provided no such excitement. Given the emotional letdown from the first game, there was a bit of a feeling that game two was over before the first pitch was thrown.

And unfortunately, after a few pitches had been thrown, it basically was. Cougar starter Erica Coelho was drilled for 7 first inning runs, which Biola methodically pushed across with 6 hits.

Much to Coelho and the Cougars’ credit, nobody lost composure. Though two more runs crossed the plate in the second, Coelho kept throwing strikes and making Biola earn their hits. In the third, a solo home run by Amerra Kesterson pushed the score to 10-0.

Biola starter Emily Gray didn’t allow a hit through the first two innings, but Coelho ended that in the third with a booming RBI double to center. Gray was still effective on the day, getting ahead in counts and using her riseball to finish off hitters. She allowed just the one run in three innings of work before giving way to Tatiana Garcia.

Garcia pitched a pair of scoreless innings to finish the game off, as it was called after five due to the mercy rule. The losses drop CSUSM to 6-22 on the season.