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Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
Facing three time defending
SCIAC Champion University of Redlands, Cal State San Marcos
softball, put up a fight, but lost both of Sunday’s games. CSUSM
fell in game one 3-0, and lost game two by a score of 9-5.
Game one was a tightly-played contest that came down to a couple key
at-bats. Ashley Salvino started the game with three hitless innings,
overpowering Redlands’ lineup with well-located fastballs. She got
an assist from left fielder Mimi Krutein, who prevented a sure base
hit with a sliding catch on a blooper over the shortstop’s head with
two outs in the third.
Lizelle Casillas broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single in
the fourth, but Salvino escaped the inning with no harm. With
Redlands starter Katie Brnca matching Salvino pitch-for-pitch, the
scoreless tie persisted to the fifth.
In the top half of the inning, Aleisha Martinez would lead off for
Redlands with a base hit, and pinch runner Sam Ingram stole second.
After a strikeout, the next batter walked, and a wild pitch moved
both runners into scoring position. Cougar Coach Kelly Warren
decided to go to the bullpen and put the ball in Melissa Lerno’s
hands. She inherited a 2-ball count on the first hitter, and walked
her to load the bases. Lerno, who has only made a couple relief
appearances in her CSUSM career, then walked the next hitter,
forcing in Redlands’ first run. The next batter grounded out,
pushing in another run before Lerno was able to pitch out of the
inning.
Redlands manufactured another run in the sixth, and Brnca gave way
to Olivia Ellis after throwing 5 innings of scoreless 2-hit ball.
Ellis was promptly greeted with a booming triple to left-center by
Cougar third-baseman Lauren Nelson, giving the Cougars potential
life. But CSUSM was unable to capitalize, and Ellis pitched an
uneventful seventh to earn the save in Redlands’ 3-0 win.
Game two pitted Cougar starter Brenna Sandberg, coming off a shutout
against Bethany yesterday, against Ellis. The Cougars got started
early. With two outs and no on in the first, Eric Coelho hit a short
pop-up that dropped just in front of the first baseman, and was able
to get on base. Melissa Lerno then made Redlands pay, crushing an
RBI double to right that gave CSUSM the early 1-0 lead.
The lead would not last, however. Early on, Sandberg looked as good
as she did in Saturday’s start; but with two outs in the second, a
routine fly ball to the outfield was dropped. Sandberg walked the
next two hitters, and Melanie Hamlin cashed in with a bases clearing
RBI double to center, giving Redlands a 3-1 lead.
Mimi Krutein quickly made amends for the dropped fly, knocking a
two-out RBI single to left in the bottom of the second. But
Redlands’ lineup had caught on to Sandberg, and quickly took a
commanding lead with three consecutive booming doubles, an error,
and another big double. Ashley Salvino was called in from the
bullpen with the Cougars down 7-2. An error would allow a couple
more runs to score, making it a 9-2 lead for Redlands.
Krutein connected on yet another big hit in the fifth, hammering an
RBI double over the centerfielder’s head. CSUSM got two runners on
with two outs, but Lerno’s line drive to center was hauled in, and
the score remained 9-3. The bottom of that inning started with
plenty of excitement, as Redlands’ Nicky Neumenn hit a bomb off the
left field wall, but the Krutein – Lerno – Preovolos relay thwarted
her bid for a home run, nailing her on a play at the plate.
Despite the large deficit, CSUSM finished the game off strong.
Salvino threw 5 innings without allowing an earned run, aided by a
nifty play in the seventh by third baseman Lauren Nelson, who
snagged a line drive and alertly tagged the runner on third for a
double-play. Krutein got yet another base hit in the seventh, making
her 3-for-3 in the game and 4-for-5 in the double-header. The
Cougars put together a two-out rally in the seventh, with the help
of a throwing error on what should’ve been the final out. That
allowed a run to score, and Lerno drove in another with a base hit.
Reliever Lindsey Horta would get out of it, however, and preserve
the 9-5 win for Redlands.
The loss drops Cougar softball to 3-3 on the season; and it won’t
get any easier, with the team’s next game at Azusa Pacific on the
12th.
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