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Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)
In a pair of games with serious regional playoff
implications, #21 Cal State San Marcos split with Concordia
University in an evenly-matched double-header on Saturday. The
Cougars couldn’t capitalize on numerous opportunities in game one,
falling 4-1; but bounced back to win game two 3-2 on a walk-off
suicide squeeze.
CSUSM got off to a quick start in game one, manufacturing a run in
the first. Elizabeth Bush led off with a single, was sacrificed over
by Holly Russell, and was driven in with two outs by a Shanti Poston
single up the middle.
But the Cougars failed to capitalize on other early opportunities.
CSUSM got a runner in scoring position in each of the first three
innings, but only cashed in that first opportunity.
On the mound, Cougar ace Melissa Lerno started off strong. Lerno
controlled the inside of the plate, keeping hitters off balance with
hard fastballs over the inside corner. She started the game with
three perfect innings.
But Concordia struck in the fourth, knocking a one-out double
followed by a single, putting runners at the corners. A
beautifully-executed pickoff play was foiled when the third baseman
couldn’t handle the throw, allowing a run to score. After a walk, a
rocket triple down the leftfield line made it 3-1 Concordia, and a
sacrifice bunt made it 4-1.
A beautiful diving stop by Cougar shortstop Shanti Poston in the
fifth, and nice plays by Lauren Nelson and Russell in the sixth
helped CSUSM keep the lead manageable. And in that sixth inning,
CSUSM finally got to CUI starter Rachel Reekstin, as Erica Coelho
drew a leadoff walk, and Poston and Lerno singled to load the bases
with no outs. Reliever Laura Wiens was brought in, and after getting
an out, surrendered a walk to Lauren Nelson to make it 4-2.
The rally ended there, however, meaning the seventh inning was the
Cougars’ final shot to come back. After an out, Russell and Coelho
drew walks, and Poston lined a single up the middle to load the
bases for Lerno. She hammered a ball to center, but what looked like
a potential game-winning triple turned into a sac fly when
centerfielder Michelle Carter made a full-extension diving catch.
Wiens struck out the final hitter to close out a very painful 4-3
loss for CSUSM.
In game two, Concordia kept its momentum going, scoring off Cougar
starter Brenna Sandberg in the first. But the Cougars got it right
back, as Melissa Lerno chopped a two-out RBI single to plate Holly
Russell in the bottom of the inning.
CSUSM threatened in the third, with Elizabeth Bush leading off with
a single, Russell walking, and Erica Coelho sacrificing them over.
But the Cougars were unable to push home a run, and the 1-1 tie
remained.
The game turned into a pitchers’ duel, as both Sandberg and CUI
starter Sarah Frudakis locked down for the next few innings. With
two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Cougars finally broke
through thanks to a triple laced by Erica Coelho down the leftfield
line. She came home on a hard-hit ball by Shanti Poston that the
shortstop couldn’t handle, giving CSUSM its first lead at 2-1.
It didn’t last long, as Concordia loaded the bases with one out in
the sixth, and tied the game back up on a fielder’s choice. Sandberg
escaped with no further damage, however, and pitched around a
leadoff double to get out of the seventh with the game still tied at
2-2.
That set the stage for a dramatic ending, and the Cougars wasted
little time. Leilani Madrigal, the lone senior on CSUSM’s roster,
slapped a leadoff base hit to left, and stretched it into a double
on hustle alone. A sacrifice bunt attempt was popped up, but Russell
bailed the team out, ripping a single to left to advance Madrigal to
third. With Erica Coelho at the plate, Coach Kelly Warren called for
a risky suicide squeeze – which Coelho executed to perfection.
Madrigal was greeted by the whole dugout as she slid across home
with the game-winning run.
The 3-2 victory gave CSUSM a well-earned split, and keeps them right
in the thick of the Region II playoff hunt. The Cougars will be in
action in two big games at Point Loma on Tuesday.
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