ROHNERT PARK—The Chico State softball team came within a whisker of taking two from Sonoma State Friday in the series-opening doubleheader at Seawolf Softball Field in Rohnert Park, but after easily winning the opener 8-0 in five innings, the No. 6 Wildcats' huge rally late in the nightcap fell tantilizingly short, allowing the Seawolves to escape with a 6-5 victory.
With the doubleheader split, Chico State is now 10-3 on the season and 8-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Sonoma State is 4-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
The Wildcat offense piled up 19 hits on the day. Amanda Flores had a home run among her four hits, with Kristin Worley picking up three hits in the first game of the doubleheader. Wendy Cardinali, Ari Marsh, Brooke Larsen, Claire Wayne, and Amanda Metzger all contributed a pair of hits to the 'Cats' attack.
Chico State wasted little time jumping on top in game one of the double dip, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring five times. Worley led off the game with a single, and came home later in the frame when Flores reached base on a Sonoma error. Larsen promptly doubled home Flores and came around to score on a base hit by Bailey Akins to make it 3-0, and two batters later Wayne touched home plate when the Seawolves failed to handle Metzger's grounder to second base. Worley capped off the first inning uprising with an RBI single to plate Akins, extending the 'Cats' lead to 5-0.
Chico State added a pair of runs in the top of the third inning when Cardinali singled home Worley, then scored from third when Sonoma catcher Jordyn Martinez committed an error attempting to throw out Flores stealing second, ballooning the Wildcats' lead to 7-0.
Chico State scored its final run of the contest without the benefit of a hit. Four walks—Cardinali coaxing the free pass that plated Wayne from third—made the score 8-0.
Larsen was superb in the pitcher's circle for the 'Cats, and had a chance for an abbreviated no-hitter before Martinez singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Wildcats' ace retired the next two Seawolves' hitters to end it, giving Chico State the 8-0 series-opening victory.
Larsen struck out four on the way to recording her third shutout and fifth complete game of the season, improving to 6-1 on the year.
Game two saw Sonoma State take control early, scoring two runs in the first inning off Wildcats starting pitcher Sam Mulock and four more later in the contest against reliever Naomi Monahan. Seawolves starting pitcher Teresa Danenberg, meanwhile, kept the 'Cats' bats in check, allowing just two hits—a first inning double by Cardinali and a fourth inning single by Wayne—through the first five frames.
Down a half-dozen heading into the sixth inning, Chico State's offense began hitting on all cylinders. Marsh delivered a one-out single, advanced to third on a double by Flores, and scored when Wayne singled to left field, putting the Wildcats on the board. Flores came home on an Akins sacrifice fly, and following a Sonoma State error, Metzger singled to drive in pinch-runner Ana Hayes to make it a 6-3 ballgame.
The 'Cats certainly made it interesting in the seventh. Marsh singled with one out, setting the stage for Flores, who belted her first home run of the year to left-center field. The two-run blast pulled Chico State to within a run, and Wayne—representing the tying run—reached on a Seawolves' error, and moved into scoring position courtesy of a passed ball. Akins flied to center field for the second out, with Wayne taking third on the play.
With the equalizer just 60 feet away, the Wildcat uprising came to a screeching halt when Reilani Peleti was retired for the final out, giving Sonoma State the 6-5 victory and the doubleheader split.
The Wildcats and Seawolves wrap up their four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
