Softball Loses Pair of Close Games to UCSD
4/20/08

Box Score (Game One)
Box Score (Game Two)

One day after pulling an upset of #1 Cal Baptist that sent shockwaves through the NAIA, #20 Cal State San Marcos softball faced another daunting task in NCAA opponent UCSD.  While the Cougars put up quite a fight, they ended up on the wrong end of 1-0 and 8-5 games.

Game one pitted Cougar starter Ashley Salvino against Triton ace Melissa Ward.  Salvino, sporting one of the best ERA's in the NAIA, did an excellent job of limiting UCSD's chances, giving her squad an opportunity to win.  Salvino threw 5 2/3 innings, surrendering just three hits and three walks.

But it wasn't enough to best Ward, who went the distance without allowing a run.  The Cougars got three hits and one walk off of her, but couldn't string enough baserunners together to manufacture a run.  Nicolette Nassif, Erica Coelho, and Melissa Lerno were the only Cougars to record hits in game one.

The game went scoreless into the sixth, when UCSD finally broke through.  A one-out walk came around to score when Jenny Maze tripled to right, plating the game's lone run.

As opposed to the game one pitchers' duel, game two proved to be a slugfest - but unfortunately the result stayed the same.   Cougar starter Brenna Sandberg was hit hard by UCSD, but was done no favors by her defense, which committed five errors.

But the Cougar offense did some damage of its own.  In the first inning, Erica Coelho drove in Elizabeth Bush with a base hit, giving the Cougars an early 1-0 lead.  UCSD promptly scored four in the bottom of the inning, and another in the third, but the Cougars didn't give up.

In the fourth, CSUSM pulled itself right back into the game.  Lerno led off with a walk, and Mimi Krutein laced a double down the leftfield line.  After a couple outs, Nassif delivered a clutch RBI single to short.  That brough up Bush, who boomed a big two-RBI double to right-center. 

The Cougars would complete the comeback in the fifth, pulling even on an RBI single by Krutein that plated Karen Morizi.

But after squandering an opportunity in the sixth, the Cougars fell behind for the final time.  UCSD knocked Sandberg out of the game in the bottom of the inning, and scored three runs to go up 8-5.  They eventually won by that same score.

CSUSM, now 25-17, has just four games remaining this season, and appear to be in very good position to make the playoffs.  The Cougars will play a couple of huge games Tuesday at Hope Internationa.