CHICO – Saturday was a softball fan’s dream at University Softball Field. After rain forced the cancellation of Friday’s Chico State-Cal State San Bernardino doubleheader, the two teams – needing to play as many games of a pivotal California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference series as possible – decided to salvage one of the washed-out contests by tacking it on to the back of Saturday’s scheduled twinbill. It resulted in a softball tripleheader filled with outstanding play by both schools, with the visiting Coyotes taking two of three – after the Wildcats won the first game 7-2, San Bernardino downed Chico State 10-4 to earn a split of the regular Saturday double dip…then shaded the ’Cats 4-2 in the rescheduled single game.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA West Region and fighting for one of the four CCAA Championship Tournament berths, slipped to 18-15 overall following Saturday’s action, and 11-12 in conference play. Cal State San Bernardino, one of the teams Chico State is trying to catch, improved to 21-21 for the year and 13-10 in the CCAA.
The Wildcats’ Jessica McDermott delivered a solid pitching performance in Saturday’s first game,
allowing just two runs and striking out four in tossing her ninth complete game of the season. Chico State staked McDermott to an early lead – Rachel Failla’s two-out double to left drove home Sam Quadt and Courtney Brock to put the Wildcats up 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Cal State San Bernardino answered with two of its own in the top of the second – Courtney Wilhelms and Jamie Leffingwell both coming through with RBI doubles – but the ’Cats took the lead for good in the bottom of the third inning, taking advantage of a throwing error on a Charlotte Honciano RBI single to plate a pair; later in the frame Sam Quadt scored from third on a Briann Godfredson wild pitch to make it a 5-2 ballgame. Chico State added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Jenna Wermes came home from third on a Coyotes throwing error and Christina Wieck singled in Bec Johnson to increase the ’Cats lead to 7-2. McDermott retired San Bernardino in order in the top of the seventh to lock down her eighth win of the year, matching her personal victory total from last season. The Wildcats racked up eight hits in the win; Failla finished 2-for-2 with two RBI.
BOX SCORE - Game One
Saturday’s second game started well for Chico State, with the Wildcats grabbing a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Brock’s two-out single down the first base line chased home Christine Johnson and Kelly Head. Cal State San Bernardino, though, jumped out in front 3-2 in the top of the fourth when a Chico State throwing error resulted in one run, then with a runner aboard, Leffingwell sent a Kacie McCarthy pitch over the left field wall. An infield single by Ashley Collinwood knocked in another Coyote run in the fifth inning, then in the sixth San Bernardino pretty much put the game away by scoring five times – Britney Butler providing the crushing blow with a grand slam off Chico State reliever Sarah Marcia. The Coyotes plated a single run in the top of the seventh inning to go up 10-2, but the Wildcats continued to battle – RBI singles by Failla and Bec Johnson chased Coyotes starter Cassidy Lee in the bottom of the seventh, but Erica Prentice came in from the bullpen to record the final out and give San Bernardino the 10-4 victory. Lee got credit for the win to improve to 7-4 on the year, with McCarthy taking the loss to fall to 8-8. Failla and Bec Johnson each went 2-for-3 in the losing effort to lead Chico State’s seven hit attack.
BOX SCORE - Game Two
In the final game of the tripleheader, Cal State San Bernardino needed just two batters to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning – Butler led off with a triple to left field and scored one pitch later on a Jaquelyn Holtzclaw single. The Coyotes went up 2-0 in the top of the third when Wilhelms’ RBI single to knocked in Butler, but in the bottom of the inning the Wildcats cut the deficit in half as Honciano delivered a two-out single to drive in Wieck. In the top of the sixth inning Leffingwell doubled home Collinwood to give San Bernardino a 3-1 lead, but the ’Cats got the run back in the bottom of the sixth when Honciano smacked her third home run of the year, a solo shot over the left field fence. The Coyotes used an RBI double by Wilhelms in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 4-2; Chico State was able to get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a leadoff single by Bec Johnson, but Prentice promptly retired Wermes, Wieck and Head to end the game and give Cal State San Bernardino the 4-2 win in the rubber match of Saturday’s triple dip. With the complete game victory, Prentice improved to 5-4 on the year…McDermott went the distance for the ’Cats but took the loss to slip to 8-5 for the season. Honciano had three of Chico State’s four hits in the finale.
BOX SCORE - Game Three
The Wildcats play their next eight conference games on the road, starting next weekend in the Bay Area with a pair of doubleheaders against San Francisco State. The first of the two twinbills gets underway Friday at 1: 00 p.m., with Saturday’s double dip scheduled to start at noon.
