SAN FRANCISCO – Two more outstanding pitching performances led to another win for the Chico State softball team at San Francisco State Saturday. Kacie McCarthy fired a complete-game two hit shutout to lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 win in the series finale. In the first game, Jessica McDermott allowed only an unearned run in four hits in the Wildcats’ 1-0 loss.
Chico State, ranked No. 7 in the West Region entering the weekend, is now 20-17 overall and 13-14 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with four game series’ at Cal State East Bay and at home against Cal State Stanislaus remaining on its regular season schedule. The Wildcats will need to finish strong to sneak into one of the conference’s top four spots and earn the CCAA Championship Tournament berth that goes with that goes with it and/or earn an NCAA Championship Tournament bid.
Pitching like they received this weekend from McDermott and McCarthy would certainly give them a good chance. McDermott did not allow an earned run in two complete-game efforts over the weekend and McCarthy shut out the Gators through nine innings Friday and took a hard-luck loss after allowing a two-run homer in the 10th inning. She gave up just five hits in 16-and-two-thirds innings on the weekend.
Saturday, McDermott kept San Francisco State off the board until the sixth when she misplayed a sacrifice bunt attempt that eventually allowed the go-ahead run to score on a sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats threatened to answer in the seventh on two occasions. First, Jessie Minch walked to lead off the inning but was called out for leaving the base early for the inning’s first out. Kelly Head and Charlotte Honciano hit consecutive two-out singles to keep hope alive, but Christine Johnson grounded into a fielders’ choice to end the game.
Honciano had three of the Wildcats’ six hits in the game.
McCarthy retired the Gators in order in the first, fourth, fifth, and seventh. She walked three and struck out four.
Minch’s RBI-single in the second gave her an early lead to work with. The Wildcats added another run in the seventh when Jenna Wermes led off with a single and pinch runner Maddi Hillier moved to second on Rachel Failla’s sacrifice bunt and third on Christina Wieck’s grounder to first before coming home on Kelly Head’s base hit to right field.
The Wildcats open that four-game series at Cal State East Bay Friday at 1 p.m. they’ll conclude the regular season with four home games against Cal State Stanislaus beginning Friday, April 23, at 1 p.m.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
