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Box Score 2 CHICO – With two out and nobody on in the bottom of the seventh inning, the fans at University Softball Field were resigning themselves to the notion that Chico State would have to settle for a doubleheader and series split with visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills. They may have waited until the bitter end, but the Wildcat players banded together to produce an altogether different result. After pounding out 14 hits to win Saturday's first contest 6-4, the 'Cats rallied in the nightcap with three runs in their final turn at bat to steal a 3-2 decision from the Toros, sweeping the twinbill and taking the weekend series three games to one.
Saturday's wins improved the Wildcats' season record to 10-11 and 8-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Dominguez Hills slipped to 14-10 overall and 8-6 in CCAA play as a result of the doubleheader sweep.
Amanda Cordeiro had four of Chico State's 19 hits on the day, raising her season average to .440. Alli Cook and Emily McEnaney each contributed three hits, while Kelli Keefe delivered two hits, stole three bases, and drove in the tying- and game-winning runs as the Wildcats ran their season-high victory streak to three.
One of the top hitting teams in the CCAA, Cal State Dominguez Hills threatened to break out to a big lead in the first game of Saturday's double dip, loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the first inning. Wildcat starting pitcher Alex Molina was able to wiggle out of the jam unscathed, and that seemed to fire up the Chico State offense, which used RBI doubles by McEnaney and Cordeiro and a run-scoring single by Courtney Brown in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-0 lead.
Molina held the Toros to just two hits over the next five innings, at one point retiring 10 straight batters. The Wildcats scored what turned out to be three very important runs in the bottom of the sixth – McEnaney's single to center plated Keefe and Sammi Ridgway, then Cordeiro singled to center to plate Cook to put Chico State up 6-0.
Dominguez Hills refused to fold, chasing Molina with three runs in the top of the seventh. Brooke Langeloh was summoned from the Wildcat bullpen, and after giving up an RBI single to Kaci McGinnis, got Stephanie Hua to ground back to the circle to end it, and Chico State held on for the 6-4 win. McEnaney finished with three hits and three RBI, Cook went 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Codeiro and Molina had two hits apiece. Molina (5-6) struck out six to earn the victory, while Langeloh notched her first save of the season.
Langeloh got the start in game two of the doubleheader and pitched well for the second straight day, allowing just single runs in the second and third innings. But it seemed to be more than enough offense for Dominguez Hills starter Alicia Paiz, who held the 'Cats to just two hits over the first six frames.
The Toros were still up 2-0 in the bottom of the seventh when Paiz got McEnaney and Gonzalez to ground out. The third out – and the Dominguez Hills win – never happened: Cordeiro singled, Molina reached on an error and Brown loaded the bases with a base hit to center. A walk to Brynn Lesovsky forced home Chico State's first run, and Keefe followed with the game-winner, a bloop single to shallow center that fell just out of reach of Toros shortstop Adriana Sanchez that chased home Brown and Marlee Rettig to give the Wildcats the dramatic 3-2 win and the doubleheader sweep. Langeloh went the distance to earn the win and raise her season record to 2-1.
The Wildcats are back at University Softball Field next Saturday, hosting New York's Pace University in doubleheader action beginning at 12 p.m.
