ROHNERT PARK—The Chico State softball team came out firing on all cylinders in the first game of Friday's series-opening doubleheader against Sonoma State, combining an aggressive 11-hit attack with Amelie Valdez tossing the first no-hitter of her Chico State career in an 8-0 shellacking of the 11th-ranked Seawolves. The 'Cats had to settle for a split of the twin bill, though, as Sonoma bounced back to take the nightcap 4-0.
Chico State ended Friday with a season record of 17-16, while remaining in sixth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with a 10-10 conference mark. Sonoma State stays atop the CCAA with a 20-5 conference record; overall, the Seawolves are 31-8 on the year.
Chico State racked up a combined 17 hits, with Anastacia Alba collecting four knocks on the afternoon. Tayler Berens, Grace Stover, and Lanie Blomquist each had three hits for the Wildcats.
In game one of Friday's doubleheader, Chico State used singles by Stover and Alba and an RBI groundout by Mari Takeda Bajan to open the scoring in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats struck for three more runs in the top of the third—Takeda Bajan delivered a bases-loaded single to knock in Stover and Alba, and Blaire Willson followed with a base hit to chase home Berens to extend the Wildcats' lead to 4-0.
The 'Cats knocked Sonoma State starting pitcher Charlie Johnson out of the game with another crooked number in the top of the fourth inning. Blomquist led off with a single and was promptly doubled home by Stover, and Alba knocked in a pair with a base hit up the middle. Alba then scored on a sacrifice fly by Berens to complete the four-run frame, putting Chico State up 8-0.
Valdez did the rest, retiring Sonoma State without incident in the bottom of the fourth, then capping off her no-no with an exclamation point, setting down the Seawolves in order and striking out Courtney Jack to end it, giving the Wildcats the 8-0 victory.
Valdez struck out six en route to the win, raising her record to 7-6 and lowering her earned run average to 1.84 on the season.
It was Sonoma State's turn to be the aggressor in game two of the double dip. Wildcats starting pitcher Katelyn Oldwin was able to wiggle out of a second-and-third, one-out jam unscathed with back-to-back strikeouts in the bottom of the second inning, but in the third the Seawolves combined two singles, two sacrifice bunts, and a double steal to score three times. Chico State had a pair of opportunities to cut into the deficit, but stranded a runner at third in the fourth inning and left the bases loaded in the fifth as Sonoma maintained its 3-0 lead.
The Seawolves tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and despite a two-out pinch-hit double by Hannah Levy, the 'Cats failed to push a run across in the top of the seventh, giving Sonoma State the 4-0 victory and the doubleheader split.
The Wildcats and Seawolves conclude their four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video, with links located on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the softball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
