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Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
A day after Ashley Salvino threw
a no-hitter, Cougar softball extended its winning streak to six
games with a pair of wins over Dominican. The first came on the
strength of 13 Melissa Lerno strikeouts – though CSUSM needed a
two-out extra inning rally to pull out the 5-4 victory. The second
was a much easier 5-0 win.
In game one, the Cougar defense could just as well have stayed in
the dugout the first couple innings, because Lerno was absolutely
dealing. She struck out the side in both the first and second
innings, pounding the strike zone with her overpowering fastball and
wicked changeup.
Marly Barth would get the Cougar offense going in the first. A day
after bombing two home runs against Northwest Christian, Barth
knocked a single up the middle to plate Erica Coelho and give CSUSM
a 1-0 lead.
Lerno continued her dominance in the third inning, easily
dispatching of Dominican’s first two hitters to bring her
consecutive strikeout total to eight. The next hitter would snap the
streak with a groundout.
Dominican broke up Lerno’s perfect game in the fourth. Her ninth
strikeout came on a ball in the dirt, allowing the runner to reach.
Amber Lara then sliced a double to right-center, putting two runners
in scoring position with one out. A pair of passed balls would allow
both runs to score, giving Dominican a 2-1 lead. A bloop single
after another passed ball made it 3-1, despite Lerno having 10
strikeouts and allowing a total of one hard-hit ball.
Lise Leibl got the Cougar comeback started in the fifth, chipping a
base hit just over the shortstop’s head. Nicolette Nassif followed
that up with a dribbler to the catcher that she beat out, and a
throwing error let Leibl reach third. After Nassif stole second,
Erica Coelho got the run in with a grounder, and reached base when
it was misplayed. A clean RBI single by Shanti Poston tied the game.
Barth followed that up with a single of her own, but Coelho was cut
down at the plate, and the game remained a 3-3 tie.
Lerno got through an easy sixth, thanks in part to a brilliant
sliding catch by Liebl in left. For the first time, she didn’t add
to her season-high strikeout total of 12 – though at this point,
winning the game was of much greater concern.
The tie persisted to the bottom of the seventh, and went into extras
after neither team could score. With the international rules in
effect, each team started their half of the eighth with a runner on
second. Dominican’s was cut down at the plate trying to score on a
wild pitch, but a two-out triple and passed ball put the Cougars
down 4-3.
That brought San Marcos to the plate with its last shot to tie, and
for most of the inning it looked dim. Leilani Madrigal was placed on
second, but after being bunted over to third, she was gunned down at
home on an extremely close play. With two outs and just a runner on
first, Holly Russell was CSUSM’s last chance. She would deliver,
drilling a double down the left field line to put runners on second
and third. Elizabeth Bush was intentionally walked, brining up
catcher Lindsey Preovolos for her first at-bat of the afternoon.
In the biggest spot of the game, Preovolos somehow stayed patient.
She laid off close pitch after close pitch, eventually drawing a
walk that forced in the game tying run. But the Cougars weren’t
content with just tying it. Lise Leibl capped off what was a career
day for her, claiming the title of hero by lining the game-winning
single through the right side. Leibl was mobbed by her teammates at
first base as they celebrated the big comeback win.
Nearly lost in the nail-biting win was Lerno’s magnificent
performance. The Cougar ace finished with 13 strikeouts, walked just
one, and didn’t allow an earned run.
Game two saw the Cougars get off to another quick start. After
Cougar starter Brenna Sandberg and catcher Lindsey Preovolos
combined for a strike ‘em out throw double-play to get out of the
first, Nicolette Nassif led off with a single. She then stole
second, and got to third on a Coelho groundout. Shanti Poston drove
her in with a single to left to give CSUSM a 1-0 lead.
Sanberg looked like she was on cruise control early on, mixing her
pitches well and getting easy outs. She sailed through the first
four innings, walking no one and allowing just two hits.
And she would get more runs to work with in the fourth. A two-out
walk to Holly Russell opened the door, as Elizabeth Bush drilled a
single to right. The ball got under the right fielder’s glove,
allowing Russell to score and Bush to reach third. Lindsey Preovolos
then drove Bush in with a single to short, giving CSUSM a 3-0 lead.
That would be extended in the fifth. After a leadoff walk to Poston,
pinch hitter Lauren Nelson drove a double to center, putting two
runners in scoring position. Melissa Lerno delivered a sac fly to
make it 4-0, and Bush crushed an RBI double to center, extending the
lead to 5-0.
Sandberg pitched around a leadoff walk in the sixth, striking out a
pair of hitters. She finished off the shutout the following inning,
working a 1-2-3 seventh to complete the sweep. Sandberg worked 7
efficient innings, allowing just the two hits and one walk.
Dominican did not advance a runner to scoring position.
The red-hot Cougars will get a tough test on Wednesday, when they’ll
travel to face University of San Diego.
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