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Box Score 2 TURLOCK – The Chico State softball team went into the Mizuno Tournament of Champions looking to build on its recent success and bolster its status as one of the top program in the West Region. Neither goal was realized in Friday’s opening day action at Pedretti Park in Turlock, as the Wildcats began the three-day, 26-team tourney with a pair of ugly losses, bowing to Central Washington 6-2 and dropping an 8-1 decision to Western Washington.
With Friday’s dual setbacks, Chico State has now lost three in a row to fall to 18-13 on the season. Central Washington improved to 14-12 overall, while Western Washington upped its season record to 18-16.
Besides producing just three runs in their two games, the Wildcats made things easy for their opponents to gain the upper hand, issuing a combined seven walks and committing five errors.
Offensively, Chico State collected 15 hits, but stranded 14 baserunners as the Wildcats managed to cross the plate just three times. Brynn Lesovsky had three hits on the day, with Kelli Keefe, Alex Molina, Amanda Cordeiro and Taylor Hanamaikai providing two safeties apiece.
In the opener, the Wildcats fell behind 2-0 in the top of the third inning when Central Washington’s Jill McDaniels doubled home Remy Bradley and Michaela Hazlett. Chico State cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Keefe.
It stayed 2-1 until Central Washington officially broke the game open, scoring four times in the top of the seventh inning, capped off by a three-run home run off the bat of Elena Carter. Chico State answered with four hits in the bottom of the seventh – Lesovsky providing an RBI single – but it was far too little and far too late, as Central Washington locked down the 6-2 victory. Alex Molina went the distance in the pitcher’s circle for the Wildcats, but took the loss to fall to 11-4 on the season.
Chico State fared even worse against Western Washington, quickly falling behind 4-0 after an inning-and-a-half. The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the second when Cordeiro scored on a two-out Vikings error, but Western Washington slowly pulled away with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and, thanks to two Chico State miscues, two more in the seventh to fashion a seven-run cushion. The ’Cats went quietly in their half of the seventh, as the Vikings secured the 8-1 victory. Kayla McConnell started in the pitcher’s circle for Chico State and was charged with the loss, giving up four earned runs in five-and-two-thirds innings to see her season record slip to 4-7.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday in the second day of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions, taking on Azusa Pacific at 2:30 p.m., Saint Martin’s at 6:00 and Montana State-Billings at 8:15. All Chico State games during the tournament can be followed online via Live Stats, available on the Wildcat Athletics website.
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