GREELEY, Colo. ? The CSUB softball team set the bar a little higher for future Roadrunners squads Sunday, capping its second full season of NCAA Division I play with its 28th victory in a 6-5 triumph over North Dakota at the NCAA Division I Independent Championships on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado.
Softball finishes the season 28-23 overall, joining volleyball (18-15) and women's basketball (19-10) as new Division I Roadrunner teams to finish with winning records this season. CSUB's established Division I programs?wrestling (10-5) and water polo (21-14 entering Sunday's season finale)?also finished above .500 in 2008-09.
CSUB had to work hard for Sunday's win. The Roadrunners erased a 4-0 deficit with six unanswered runs to take a 6-4 lead. They then worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to preserve the victory.
Sophomore Brittany Johnson, normally known for her pitching prowess, delivered at the plate in this win. Pinch hitting with two outs and the Roadrunners trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning, Johnson hit a two-run blast to straight away center. Her first collegiate homerun cut CSUB's deficit in half.
The Roadrunners completed their rally in the sixth inning. Johnson scored the first run on a ground ball by Jill McClelland. CSUB added run-scoring singles from Justeen Maeva and Kristen Archuleta and an RBI double by catcher Jaimey Kleinsmith. By the time the dust settled, the Roadrunners led 6-4.
North Dakota pulled one run back in the top of the seventh thanks to a leadoff single and a one-out triple by Abby Rehberger. Starting pitcher Shawna Truan made a heads-up play to keep the Fighting Sioux from tying the game when she got Rehberger in a rundown for the second out two batters later.
Nevertheless, North Dakota loaded the bases before Truan secured the win by coaxing Kristi Alcorn to fly out to right field.
An all-tournament team will be named following Sunday afternoon's final game, which begins at 2 p.m. MDT.
TEAMS
| 123
| 456
| 7
| --
| R
| H
| E
|
North Dakota (9-33)
| 300
| 100
| 1
| --
| 5
| 6
| 1
|
CSU Bakersfield (28-23)
| 000
| 204
| x
| --
| 6
| 8
| 1
|
Younan and Bennett; Truan and Muro, Kleinsmith (5). WP ? Shawna Truan (10-8). LP ? Erica Younan (3-16).
2B ? Kleinsmith (B), Lyman (B). 3B ? Rehberger (ND). HR ? Johnson (B), Delgado (ND).
