Pacific Coast Softball Conference

SACRAMENTO STATE SWEEPS PORTLAND STATE TO MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE IN PCSC

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento State scored a combined 25 runs on 37 hits in sweeping a Pacific Coast Softball Conference doubleheader from Portland State Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium, to move into sole possession of first place in the PCSC standings. The Hornets rallied from a 7-1 deficit for a 13-7 win in game one, and then scored six runs in sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie for a 12-3 victory in the nightcap.

The twinbill sweep gave the Hornets (24-15, 6-2 PCSC) a 3-1 series win over the Vikings (22-20, 5-3 PCSC). Sacramento State also now holds a one-game lead over Portland State with three weekends left to play.

Hornets (24-15, 6-2 PCSC) now hold a one-game lead over the Vikings (22-20, 5-3 PCSC).

Sophomore right fielder Jenice Bartee completed Sacramento State’s rally in game one, hitting her first home run of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth inning to put the Hornets up 8-7.

Junior catcher Jamie Schloredt went a combined 7-for-7 with two home runs and nine RBI, and junior left fielder Izmena Cabrera went 6-for-9 with one home run and seven RBI in the twinbill for the Hornets. The home runs were her eighth and ninth of the year for Schloredt, and Cabrera’s home run was her seventh of the season.

The Hornets set a school single-game record with 19 hits in game one, and added 18 the nightcap.

Junior right-hander Kayla Meeks (11-6) picked up the win in both games for Sacramento State.

Junior first baseman Jana Rae Slayton went 2-for-4 with six RBI in the first game for the Vikings. She hit her third home run of the year with a grand slam in the first inning to give Portland State a 4-1 lead.

GAME 1: SACRAMENTO STATE 13, PORTLAND STATE 7

Schloredt went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI to lead the Hornets in game one. Schloredt gave Sacramento State a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the first inning. She later added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to pull the Hornets to within 7-5 and capped a four-run fifth inning with a two-run home run to put Sacramento State up 10-7.

Sophomore right fielder Jenice Bartee completed Sacramento State’s rally from a 7-1 deficit with a two-run shot in the fifth inning to put the Hornets up 8-7. The home run was the first of the year for Bartee.

Junior left fielder Izmena Cabrera also had three hits for the Hornets, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Cabrera had a three-run double in the seventh to provide the 13-7 final.

Junior first baseman Jana Rae Slayton went 2-for-4 with six RBI for Portland State. Slayton hit a grand slam in the first inning to put Portland State up 4-1, and then added a two-run double to cap a three-run second and extend the Vikings’ lead to 7-1. The home run was Slayton’s third of the year.               

Junior right-hander Kayla Meeks pulled the Hornets to within 7-4 on a two-out, bases-clearing double in the third inning. Sacramento State added two runs in the fourth to pull within 7-6.

Meeks allowed seven runs, three earned, on seven hits and four walks, while striking out nine to earn the win.

Senior right-hander Mandy Hill (12-12) was charged with the loss, allowing eight runs on 14 hits and one walk in four innings.

Seven Hornets recorded multi-hit games, as Sacramento State set a school single-game record with 19 hits. In addition to Cabrera and Schloredt, Meeks and junior second baseman Whitney Loomis also had three hits each.

Freshman shortstop Arielle Wiser went 3-for-4 for Portland State.        

GAME 2: SACRAMENTO STATE 12, PORTLAND STATE 3

Tied 3-3, the Hornets plated six runs in the top of the sixth inning. Senior center fielder Hilary Johnson’s RBI single with the bases loaded put Sacrament State up 4-3. Schloredt followed with a three-run double, and the next batter, Cabrera capped the inning with a two-run blast.

The Hornets added three more runs in the seventh.

Schloredt finished 4-for-4 with five RBI, and Cabrera was 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Junior second baseman Jamee Rauch went 2-for-4 for the Vikings. Freshman shortstop Arielle Wiser went 0-for-3 to have her 11-hit streak snapped.

Sacramento State scored a run in the second and a run in the third to build a 2-0 lead. Loomis had a RBI single in the second to make it 1-0 and Schloredt added a RBI double in the second.

Sophomore right fielder Sammy Taylor gave the Vikings a 3-2 lead in the fourth with a three-run double.

Schloredt tied the game up in the fifth with a lead-off home run.

Meeks, the third Hornet pitcher of the game, worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win.

Freshman right-hander Nichole Latham (8-7) took the loss, allowing five runs on five hits and one walk.

SAINT MARY’S  SWEEPS SANTA CLARA

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Santa Clara (7-38, 3-5 PCSC) lost their second straight double header to Saint Mary’s (19-19, 5-3 PCSC).  The Broncos fell 4-0 in the first game and lost the second 4-1.  Noelani Ho’opi’i hit her second homerun of the year in the second game to score Santa Clara’s run.

Kaitlyn Rauschnot (0-9) took the loss for the Broncos in the first game of the day.  Rauschnot pitched a complete game nine-hitter, giving up four runs with just one earned.  Megan Galloway (10-9) earned her tenth victory of the season as she pitched the complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out three.

Santa Clara found themselves in early trouble in the first inning, as an error by Ashley Grove and a bunt hit by Molly Bergeson brought up Jenna Smith, who torched them with two homeruns the day before.  The Broncos decided to intentionally walk her, which loaded the bases with no outs.  Rauschnot walked the next batter to bring in a run, but got
two quick outs on grounders to Ashley Blier who threw home for the force outs to save more runs from scoring.  A single up the middle by Chelsea Loftis scored one more in the inning.  Rauschnot was able to get Sadie Dolcini to groundout to third to end the inning, stranding three, as the Gaels took a 2-0 lead.

In the second, the Broncos found themselves in a similar situation as the first inning, with two aboard and facing Smith with one out.  This time they decided to pitch to her and she hit a bloop to left center that Grove ranged back and caught then, throwing off balance, caught the runner at second for an inning ending double-play.

In the top of the fourth, Amanda Edmonson broke the no-hitter with a leadoff single to centerfield, but Galloway retired the next three batters to end the inning without any damage done.

In the bottom of the sixth, Saint Mary’s got things going again with two one-out singles, followed by an error by Grove to load the bases. Then Nicole Picard dropped a flyball in center, which scored two runs to bring the score to 4-0 before Rauschnot retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Santa Clara threatened in the top of the seventh, putting two runners aboard before Picard hit a shot to right field.  That would have loaded the bases with no outs, but Shelby Gibbs, who got aboard earlier on an error, tried to score from second and was thrown out easily.  Two straight outs following that effectively ended the game for the Broncos.

In the second game of the double-header, Jackie Morales (5-15) took the loss, pitching the whole game and giving up four runs on twelve hits. Molly Bergeson (4-4) got the win for Saint Mary’s, giving up just one run on three hits.

Saint Mary’s got the scoring started once again, as they led off the bottom of the first with two straight hits.  Smith batted one run in with a sacrifice fly to center and a single up the middle by Lauren Clark gave the Gaels a 2-0 lead.

The score didn’t stay that way for long, as Ho’opi’i knocked a solo homerun over dead center to bring the Broncos within one run in the top of the second.

Santa Clara threatened again in the third after a bunt hit by Shelby Gibbs put two on for the Broncos with one out.  Grove moved them both into scoring position with a bunt, but a hard shot by Jeanine Ruffoni was handled by the third baseman to end the inning.  In the bottom of the inning, Saint Mary’s got a two-out rally going that started with a walk, then a single down the left field line by Kat Delpit and an RBI double by Sandra Ruezga to bring the score to 3-1 before Morales ended the inning by forcing a bases loaded popup to first base.

Ruezga added another RBI in the fifth for Saint Mary’s with a bloop single down the left field line to give Saint Mary’s a 4-1 lead heading into the sixth inning.

Maryann Cronin came in for the Gaels to close out the game and after retiring the first two batters, hit Maggie Godfrey to put her on, then stuck out Jenna Fong looking to end the game.

Gibbs went 2-for-3 for the Broncos in the leadoff spot.

Santa Clara takes a break from their PCSC play next weekend when they travel to Stanford this Tuesday at 6 p.m.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT SWEEPS SAN DIEGO

SAN DIEGO -- Pitching ruled the day on Sunday as senior Tiffany Pagano and sophomore Melissa Dykema each blanked San Diego with 1-0 victories to help LMU claim its first series win of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference season. Pagano tossed a five-hitter in the opener before Dykema topped her with a two-hitter to lead the Lions (29-15, 4-4 PCSC) to three wins in the four-game series against the Toreros (14-29, 1-7 PCSC).

Both contests on Saturday had gone into extra innings and Sunday’s first game was no different as the Lions and Toreros remained scoreless through the first nine innings. Pagano and USD’s Jennifer Ellenbeck had battled the day before to a 1-0 10-inning Torero victory but this time it was the Lions who stole the game’s only run in the 10th frame. With junior Chelsie Tysdal placed on second, Ellenbeck intentionally walked sophomore Christine Foley to create a force play. Ellenbeck retired the next two batters but the bottom of the Lion order would come through, as sophomore J.J. Hartung and junior MiaSarah Cesena provided back-to-back singles, with Cesena’s driving in the winning run.

Pagano (18-8) scattered five hits and struck out five while walking two. She allowed only five runners to reach second base and only one to get to third. She pitched out of a jam in the ninth when the Toreros loaded the bases with two outs, getting Stacy Compton to ground back to her.

Hartung and Cesena got it done with each going 2-for-4.

Ellenbeck (5-16) was equally masterful, allowing eight hits and two walks to go along with one strikeout. She was able to escape any damage in the second when Tysdal was thrown out at the plate to end the inning as she tried to score from second on a single to center. That would be the only Lion runner to reach third until the 10th.

Game two turned out to be the only contest of the weekend to end in regulation as the Lions scored in the first inning and held on thanks to an excellent performance by Dykema (11-7). The sophomore gave up her only two hits, both singles, in the third inning and faced just three batters over the minimum. After retiring the game’s first seven batters, she allowed singles to Compton and Carey Casciola in the third but stranded both runners. That started a string in which she finished the game by retiring 13 of the final 14 Torero hitters.

LMU would get the only run it needed in the first as junior Kirsten Slouber led off with a double to right and advanced to third on a groundout. Two batters later, Tysdal drove in her 41st run of the season with a single to right.

LMU’s 1-4 hitters accounted for all seven of the team’s hits, with Slouber, Tysdal, and sophomore Darcy Pagnini each going 2-for-3 and freshman Amy Charpentier going 1-for-3.

Kristen Gensler suffered the loss, allowing six hits and the lone run over three innings.

LMU closes out its home schedule next weekend with a showdown with Sacramento State at Smith Field. The Lions and Hornets have combined to win four of the five conference titles. The weekend series gets underway Saturday at noon.

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