TURLOCK, Calif. – The Chico State softball team got back on the winning track Friday, taking its first two games of the three-day Mizuno Tournament of Champions at Pedretti Park in Turlock. Backed by an 11-hit attack, Lauren Walker, with relief help from Jessica McDermott, pitched the Wildcats to a 3-2 victory over Northwest Nazarene in the early game…then Chico State pounded out 13 hits en route to a 9-3 victory against Saint Martin’s University.
Against Northwest Nazarene, the Wildcats opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when Charlotte Honciano singled home Kait Manning…then in the fifth Gwen Cox delivered a two-out single, stole second and third and scored on a base hit by Kristyn Haycock. Jenna Wermes followed with a double to plate Haycock to extend Chico State’s lead to 3-0. The Crusaders finally broke through against Walker in the sixth inning on a solo homer by Haley Hevern, then in the seventh Northwest Nazarene scored again on a two-out RBI single by Vanessa Shaw, trimming the ’Cats lead to one. But the late rally was cut short when McDermott, in relief of Walker, got Hevern to fly out to center field to end it; Chico State holding on for the 3-2 victory. Walker allowed just one earned run to get the win and improve to 5-13 on the season, with McDermott picking up her first career save…Cox and Wermes each went 2-for-3 to lead the Wildcats offense.
In Friday’s late game, Chico State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Manning and Reina Andreatta, then went up 6-0 in the third – Honciano and Sam Quadt delivering RBI singles to highlight the four run outburst. Saint Martin’s answered with a run in its half of the third inning and two more in the sixth to pull to within three…but in the top of the seventh the Wildcats put the game away as Honciano bombed a three-run homer down the left field line – her first round-tripper of the year – to make it a 9-3 ballgame. Walker, who came in to relieve McDermott in the sixth, proceeded to retire the Saints in order in the bottom of the seventh to give Chico State its second victory of the day. The nine runs were the most scored by the Wildcats in a game this season, while the 13 hits matched the team’s single-game high. McDermott (7-15) pitched five-and-two-thirds innings to get credit for the win; Honciano collected three hits and four RBI to lead the ’Cats offense, while Wermes, Quadt and Rachel Failla all went 2-for-4 against Saint Martin’s.
The two victories Friday improved the Wildcats record to 13-28 on the season. Chico State is right back in action Saturday with three games on tap during the second day of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions – the ’Cats take on Central Washington at 11:15 a.m., followed by games with Western Washington at 1:30 p.m. and Western Oregon at 6:15 p.m.
BOX SCORE vs. Northwest Nazarene
BOX SCORE vs. Saint Martin's
