IRVINE—The Chico State softball team lived up to its No. 20 national ranking and got the 2020 season off to a terrific start Friday during season-opening action at the Concordia Kickoff Classic. The Wildcats combined outstanding pitching and timely hitting to post a pair of victories at Great Park in Irvine, edging Azusa Pacific 3-2 to start the day and finishing with a 6-2 triumph over Western Washington.
Friday's two victories marked the fourth straight year Chico State has won its first two games of the season.
The Wildcats' offense collected 13 hits on the day, with Kristin Worley, Karter Williams, and Reilani Peleti notching two hits apiece. Wildcat pitchers were productive as well, holding Azusa Pacific and Western Washington to just seven hits and striking out 11 batters in 14 innings of work.
In her first two games as a Wildcat, Karter Williams had two hits, scored three runs, drove in a run, and
reached base five times to help Chico State win a pair of season-opening games.
The season-opening tilt against Azusa Pacific began as a pitcher's duel between Chico State ace Brooke Larsen and Cougars lefthander Kat Ung. After trading zeroes for the first three frames, the Wildcats broke through with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Maddy Johnson scored on a Worley sacrifice fly. Azusa Pacific plated a pair of runs to grab the lead on top in the top of the fifth, but the 'Cats answered in their half of the frame as Peleti doubled home Alani Nguyen to knot up the contest at 2-2.
Larsen was able to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard the rest of the way, setting up Chico State's winning rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. It would be Larsen who provided the clutch hit, as her one-out single knocked in Angel Lopez to post the 3-2 victory.
In Friday's evening game versus Western Washington, the Vikings opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning, but the Wildcats answered in the bottom of the frame to tie the contest when Williams scampered home from third on a passed ball.
The 'Cats took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when Grace Gallagher scored as she and Williams pulled off a successful double steal, then extended their advantage to 3-1 when Peleti doubled home Lopez in the third.
Chico State scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning when Williams delivered a two-out single and came home on Worley's double to left. Two innings later, Williams delivered an RBI triple to plate Rachael Atkins and then scored on a Western Washington error to balloon the 'Cats' lead to 6-1.
That would prove to be more than enough offense for Sam Mulock, who after giving up a run in the opening frame held Western Washington hitless over five shutout innings. The Vikings scored an unearned run off Wildcats' reliever Courtney Springman in the top of the seventh, but the 'Cats quickly secured the final out and posted the 6-2 win.
The Wildcats play two more Concordia Kickoff Classic contests on Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. against the tournament's host school and No. 10 ranked team in the nation, Concordia Irvine. At 3 p.m. the 'Cats go head-to-head with Biola. Fans can follow the action with Live Stats, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
