CARSON—Saturday's series-ending doubleheader between the Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills softball teams offered up a little bit of everything—clutch pitching, late-inning heroics, extra-inning excitement—all of which combined in a win for each team. The Wildcats used a seventh inning home run by Reilani Peleti to win the first game 1-0, only to see the Toros earn the doubleheader and series split with a 6-5, 14-inning victory in the nightcap.
Saturday's doubleheader split moves Chico State to 24-10 on the season and 16-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Dominguez Hills is now 23-12 overall and 14-10 in conference play.
Chico State collected 17 hits on the day—13 coming in game two's extra-inning thriller.
Grave Stover has four hits in the nightcap, while Amanda Metzger went 3-for-6. Peleti had three hits on the day, with Hailey Seva and Grace Gallagher contributing two knocks apiece.
Game one of Saturday's doubleheader featured a terrific pitcher's duel between the Wildcats' Mari Takeda Bajan and Alyssa Olague of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Takeda Bajan was faced with minor scoring threats in the first and fifth innings, but successfully kept the Toros off the scoreboard.
Just as she did in the series opener Friday, Olague stymied the 'Cats' offense, allowing just a double to Seva and a single to Takeda Bajan through the first six frames, and at one point retiring 13 straight Chico State batters.
The Wildcats finally broke through in the seventh with what turned out to be the only run of the game. Peleti, hitless in five at-bats Friday, led off the inning with a home run to dead center field. Her second round-tripper of the year put the 'Cats on top, and Takeda Bajan made the lead stand up by coolly retiring Dominguez Hills in order in the bottom of the seventh, locking down Chico State's 1-0 victory.
Takeda Bajan earned the win, as the freshman righthander scattered four hits and struck out four in recording her first career shutout as a Wildcat.
Chico State came roaring out of the blocks in game two of the twin bill, batting around and scoring four times in the top of the first inning. Stover led off with a double and came home two batters later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Peleti. Three straight doubles by Nina Revoir, Metzger, and Gallagher produced two more runs, and Anastacia Alba's bloop single to right chased home Gallagher to make it a 4-0 game.
Dominguez Hills quickly climbed back into the contest, whittling the deficit to one with two runs in the second inning and another in the third off Wildcats' starting pitcher Katelyn Oldwin. Chico State got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth inning, when Seva reached on an error and eventually scored on a Revoir sacrifice fly, upping the Wildcats' lead to 5-3.
It didn't last long. The Toros plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game, and with both teams failing to score in the sixth or seventh frame, the final result would be decided in extra innings.
Dominguez Hills stranded a pair of runners in both eighth and ninth, while singles by Seva and Peleti put runners at first and third for Chico State in the top of the ninth inning, but the Wildcats also came away empty. Maiya Lopez led off the Toros' half of the 11th inning with a double, but pinch runner Haylee Garcia was left at third base when Takeda Bajan induced three straight groundball outs.
After retiring 10 straight batters, Olague ran into trouble in the top of the 13th as Chico State put runners at second and third with only one out. Takeda Bajan sent a fly ball to right field, but the go-ahead run was nullified due to the tagging runner at third leaving the base early, abruptly ending the Wildcats' scoring threat. Dominguez Hills couldn't take advantage, stranding the potential winning run at third base in the bottom of the 13th.
But in the bottom of the 14th, the Toros finally pushed the winning run across. Chenoa Au's bases-loaded single drove in Camila Melgar from third to give Dominguez Hills the 6-5 win to clinch the doubleheader and series split.
Takeda Bajan pitched brilliantly in relief of Oldwin, allowing just two earned runs in nine-and-a-third innings of work, but took the hard-luck loss to see her season record dip to 3-3.
Chico State is back in action next weekend, taking on a trio of Pacific West Conference opponents as part in the Tournament of Champions at Pedretti Park in Turlock. The Wildcats battle Azusa Pacific Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. showdown with Dominican. Sunday the 'Cats conclude the Tournament of Champions with a 12:30 p.m. contest against Chaminade.
