Sometimes you just have to rely on tried and true methods to get the job done. That's exactly what the Chico State softball team did Sunday, turning to a familiar weapon – the potent bat of the program's all-time home run leader, Desiree' Gonzalez. The senior first baseman blasted a solo homer to beat two-time defending California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Cal State Monterey Bay 5-4 in the second game of their series-ending doubleheader, earning a split of the four-game set played at University Softball Field.
The 'Cats' nightcap win took a little bit of the sting out of Sunday's first game, with the visiting Otters scoring early and often in a 9-3 victory.
The Wildcats now stand at 7-5 on the season and 4-4 in the CCAA. Cal State Monterey Bay leaves Chico 7-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
The game-winning homer by Gonzalez was the highlight of a 4-for-5 day in which she reached base a combined seven times. Wildcat teammate Ari Marsh collected four hits and drove in four runs, with Alli Cook collecting a pair of hits as Chico State piled up 15 safeties on the afternoon.
Game one of Sunday's twin bill saw Monterey Bay plate a pair of runs in the top of the third inning off Chico State starting pitcher Brooke Langeloh, then stretching its lead to 6-0 with a run in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when Briana Contreras scored from third on an infield single by Marsh, but the Otters answered with three runs in the top of the sixth to go up 9-1. An RBI single by Rachel DeHart in the sixth and a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Gonzalez in the seventh produced another run, but it was far too little and far too late as Monterey Bay cruised to the 9-3 victory and handed Langeloh (4-1) her first loss of the year.
Sunday's second game was a back-and-forth affair early on, with the Otters scoring a run in the first inning and the 'Cats going up 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Marsh doubled home DeHart and Contreras. Monterey Bay answered with three runs in the top of the third to take the lead, only to see Chico State knot up the contest in the bottom of the third on RBI singles by Marsh and Karli Skowrup.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning Gonzalez put the 'Cats ahead to stay when she launched her first round-tripper of the year, a monster shot over the left field fence, to give Chico State the lead. Wildcat starting pitcher Haley Gilham took it from there, wiggling out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings unscathed, then retiring the Otters in order in the seventh to lock down the 5-4 victory.
Gilham went the distance in the circle to even her season record at 2-2.
Chico State is back in action next weekend, as the Wildcats travel down to Southern California to take on the Tritons of UC San Diego (13-3, 7-1 CCAA). The four-game series gets underway with a Friday doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Saturday twin bill starting at 11 a.m.
