KENNESAW, Ga. ? The Cal State Bakersfield softball team reached the championship game of the NCAA Division I Independent tournament Sunday afternoon where host Kennesaw State earned the title with an 8?0 victory at Bailey Park in Kennesaw, Ga.
Bakersfield (31-27-1) earned the title shot with a 5?1 win over top?seeded Northern Colorado Sunday morning. But the Owls of KSU exploded for six runs in the third inning of the championship game to win going away.
Roadrunner second baseman Cara Klein earned all?tournament honors along with outfield teammates Carrie Hilvers (Bakersfield Christian HS) and Pikake Nutter?Gaudet.
Senior pitcher Kristyn Daniels continued her strong pitching from Saturday in the semifinal victory over UNC. After allowing a triple and single to spot the Bears a 1?0 lead in the first inning, she pitched three?hit, shutout ball the rest of the way. She fanned six and didn't walk a batter to finish the season at 18?11.
Klein and Hilvers singled in the first inning, and although the 'Runners didn't score, it foreshadowed what was in store for UNC starter Shea Carpenter. Senior shortstop Kianna Urbanski delivered a two?run single in the second inning to put Bakersfield on top before a Hilary Taylor double scored Klein with an insurance run in the third.
Urbanski added and RBI triple before scoring in the seventh inning to help the 'Runners put the game away.
Bakersfield's coach turned into a pumpkin in the title game, however, as freshman pitcher Katie Chavez couldn't build on her masterful performances from Saturday. She allowed a two?out walk to tournament MVP Keri McKee in the first inning and third baseman Jennifer Nolan made her pay with her 11th home run of the season to stake the Owls to a 2?0 lead.
Chavez settled down with a 1?2?3 second inning, but the KSU bats roared to life in third. McKee hit a two?run double to get the ball rolling before Sarah Hesterman added the exclamation point with three?run homer.
Daniels returned to the circle and shut the Owls down for the balance of the game, but despite putting runners on base in four of the five innings, Bakersfield couldn't break through against KSU starter Janet Kearns, who tossed her second shutout of the season.
Sunday's play ended the 2007 season for the CSUB softball team.
| TEAMS | 123
| 456
| 7
| --
| R
| H
| E
|
Cal St. Bakersfield (31-26-1)
| 021
| 000
| 2
| --
| 5
| 10
| 1
|
Northern Colorado (10-39-0)
| 100
| 000
| 0
| --
| 1
| 5
| 1
|
BATTERIES: Daniels and Taylor; Carpenter and Geist. WP ? Kristyn Daniels (18-11). LP ? Shea Carpenter (4-15).
HITTERS: CSUB: Kianna Urbanski 2x4, 3B, 3 RBI, SB; Hilary Taylor 2x4, 2B, RBI; Carrie Hilvers 2x3, RBI. UNC: Laura Christianson 1x3, 2B, RBI; Kelsey Dumler 13x, 3B, run.
| TEAMS | 123
| 45
| --
| R
| H
| E
|
Cal St. Bakersfield (31-27-1)
| 000
| 00
| --
| 0
| 5
| 0
|
Kennesaw State (44-20-0)
| 206
| 0x
| --
| 8
| 7
| 0
|
BATTERIES: Chavez, Daniels (3) and Taylor; Kearns and Gant. WP ? Janet Kearns (9-5). LP ? Katie Chavez (8-7).
HITTERS: CSUB: Carrie Hilvers 1x2; Elise Deering 1x2; Heather Veitch 1x2. KSU: Jennifer Nolan 1x1, HR (11) 2 runs, 2 RBI; Sarah Hesterman 1x2, HR (1), 3 RBI; Keri McKee 1x2, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBI.
