LA JOLLA, Calif. – Freshman pitcher Katie Chavez tossed her first collegiate shutout and sophomore third baseman Elise Deering made her a winner with a two–out, RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning of game two as the Cal State Bakersfield softball team split a doubleheader with UC San Diego Tuesday evening at the Triton Softball Field in La Jolla.
UCSD won the opener 5–0 before Deering's heroics gave the Roadrunners a 1–0 victory in the nightcap.
CSUB, which played as the home team in its second trip to La Jolla this season, moved to 28–21–1 overall and 20–14 in the CCAA with the split. UCSD is now 29–23 overall and 20–12 in conference play.
Things didn't look promising for the Roadrunners, who had managed just two runs in 25 1/3 innings against UCSD ace Melissa Ward entering the seventh inning of the second game. Ward threw six shutout innings to win the opener and blanked the Roadrunners on just three hits through the first six innings of the nightcap.
But Chavez scattered seven hits to silence the Triton offense and give her team a chance to earn the split. A one–out single by Cara Klein and a two–out knock by Pikake Nutter–Gaudet set the table for Deering, who poked a single to rightfield to drive home Klein from second base for the game–winner.
Deering's big hit rewarded Chavez for another solid outing. Chavez was coming off a complete–game victory against CCAA–leading Humboldt State Saturday afternoon. She improved to 7–3 with the win.
Klein and Nutter–Gaudet were the only 'Runners to collect more than one hit Tuesday. Klein went 2-for-3 with a double in the second game while Nutter–Gaudet finished both games 1-for-3.
The 'Runners return to Bakersfield to play their final home games of the 2007 season Sunday when they host Cal State San Bernardino at noon. They conclude the season next week at the NCAA Division I Independent Championships in Kennesaw, Ga.
| TEAMS | 123
| 456
| 7
| --
| R
| H
| E
|
UC San Diego
| 200
| 030
| 0
| --
| 5
| 7
| 1
|
Cal St. Bakersfield
| 000
| 000
| 0
| --
| 0
| 3
| 1
|
BATTERIES: Ward, Zankich (7) and Saari; Daniels and Taylor. WP – Melissa Ward (23-9). LP – Kristyn Daniels (16-10).
HITTERS: CSUB: Danille Lyman 1x2; Kianna Urbanski 1x3; Pikake Nutter-Gaudet 1x3. UCSD: Amanda Eliades 1x3, HR (1), 2 RBI; Danille Lukk 3x4, run, RBI.
| TEAMS | 123
| 456
| 7
| --
| R
| H
| E
|
UC San Diego (29-23-0, 20-12 CCAA)
| 000
| 000
| 0
| --
| 0
| 7
| 2
|
Cal St. Bakersfield (28-21-1, 20-14 CCAA)
| 000
| 000
| 1
| --
| 1
| 6
| 0
|
BATTERIES: Ward and Palmer; Chavez and Taylor. WP – Katie Chavez (7-3). LP – Melissa Ward (23-10).
HITTERS: CSUB: Elise Deering 1x3, GW RBI; Cara Klein 2x3, 2B. UCSD: Nikki Palmer 1x2, 2B; Jenni Habib 2x3.
