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Box Score 2 CHICO – It was all smiles prior to Saturday's series-ending softball doubleheader between Chico State and Sonoma State. The Wildcats had particular reason to feel good – the team bid a heartwarming farewell to Kayla Barber, Scotie Walker and Alex Molina during Senior Day festivities, and thanks to Friday's two-game sweep of the Seawolves went into Saturday's double dip in control of their postseason destiny. By the end of the afternoon, though, the smiles had subsided – the visiting Seawolves took both ends of the twinbill 4-0 and 9-1, leaving the Wildcats with an uphill battle to reach May's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament.
Chico State is now 23-23 overall and tied with Cal State San Bernardino for fifth place in the CCAA with a 16-16 conference record. In the race for the fourth and final CCAA Championship Tournament berth, the Wildcats and Coyotes trail Sonoma State by one game with four regular season contests remaining. Chico State will need to finish strong next weekend in Hayward against Cal State East Bay (24-25, 15-17 CCAA) plus get some help as Sonoma State (33-17, 17-15 CCAA) takes on San Francisco State (17-34, 8-24 CCAA) at home and Cal State San Bernardino (29-21, 16-16 CCAA) visits No. 2 Cal State Monterey Bay (41-7, 22-6 CCAA).
The Wildcats produced a combined 11 hits in Saturday's doubleheader against Sonoma, with Alli Cook going 4-for-6 to raise her season batting average to a team-high .372. Sammi Ridgway collected three hits over the two games, but the rest of the team was a combined 4-for-39 and was held scoreless for 12 consecutive innings by Seawolves pitcher Amanda Llerena, who started and won both contests.
Sonoma State struck first in game one of the twinbill, scoring all the runs they'd need in the second inning as Alison Strycula tripled home Keeley Ray and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Holli Brown. Chico State had a chance to pull even in the bottom of the third, putting runners at second and third with one out, but Llerena got out of the jam by getting Emily McEnaney to foul out and inducing a fly ball out by Desiree' Gonzalez to preserve the Seawolves' 2-0 lead. As it turned out, Llerena would not allow another Wildcat baserunner the rest of the game.
Sonoma State picked up some insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning when a bases-loaded throwing error allowed two Seawolves to score. Now with a comfortable cushion, Llerena retired Chico State in order in the sixth and seventh innings to lock down Sonoma's 4-0 victory.
The Seawolves picked up where they left off in game two of Saturday's doubleheader – Strycula singled home a run in the first inning, and in the third Strycula and Amanda Rossetta produced back-to-back RBI singles to give Sonoma a 3-0 lead. Chico State was able to get a runner into scoring position in each of the first three frames, but Llerena succeeded in keeping the 'Cats off the scoreboard.
Sonoma State pulled away with three runs in the top of the fourth inning, and in the sixth Aubrie Tolliver bombed a two-run homer to dead center field to give the Seawolves an 8-0 lead. Chico State scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Amanda Cordeiro's fielder's choice grounder plated Katy Weger, but it wasn't nearly enough, as Sonoma cruised to the 9-1 victory and the doubleheader sweep.
The Wildcats tangle with Cal State East Bay next weekend in a four-game series at Pioneer Field to wrap up regular season play. Doubleheaders are scheduled Friday beginning at 1 p.m. and Saturday at noon.
