SACRAMENTO - A second consecutive strong effort from senior Katie Chavez (Fresno/Edison HS) and Jill McClelland's (Paso Robles/Templeton HS) third home run of the season helped the CSUB softball team earn a split at Sacramento State Saturday afternoon. Sac State held off a CSUB rally to win game one, 4-3, before CSUB came back to take the nightcap, 4-2, at Shea Stadium.
Chavez allowed just one earned run for her second consecutive game to pick up her third win of the season. She fanned three and walked none by pounding the strikezone, throwing 76 strikes against just 26 balls in the game.
McClelland staked her to an early lead with a first inning solo shot down the leftfield line. RBI singles by Kelli Bailey (Rodeo/John Swett HS) and Heather Veitch (Simi Valley/Royal HS) made it 3-0 in the third, giving Chavez all the support she would need. Veitch added an insurance run in the sixth when she hustled home from first base following a throwing error on Danielle Lyman's (Moreno Valley/Canyon Springs HS) sacrifice bunt.
Sacramento State raced to a 4-0 lead in the opener. Sparked by two walks and an infield single, the Hornets scored twice in the first inning. A hit batter and a walk set the stage for two more Hornet runs in the second, this time courtesy of Jenice Bartee's double and a perfect squeeze bunt from Emily McCormick.
CSUB starter Shawna Truan (McArthur/Fall River HS) pitched marvelously from that point forward, however, shutting out Sac State on three hits over the final 4 2/3 innings. She retired nine of the final 11 batters she faced, allowing just one runner as far as second base,
The Roadrunners began to rally immediately. Two-out singles in the third inning by Bailey and Karlee Rodgers (Clovis West HS) set the table for McClelland, who laced a two-run double to right center to cut the Sac State lead in half. Veitch then drove home Jamie Miller (Livermore/Ohlone College) in the fourth to make it a 4-3 game.
Rodgers hit a bloop double to lead of the fifth inning, but the top of the Roadrunner lineup couldn't bring her home. She hit another double with two outs in the seventh. Bailey then blistered a shot to the right side, but second baseman Molly Smith snared what looked like a sure game-tying single to secure the victory for the Hornets.
McClelland finished the day with three hits, three runs and three RBIs to pace the Roadrunner offense. Rodgers added four hits, including a 3-for-3 effort in game one.
CSUB (20-30, 7-7 PCSC) and Sac State (18-30, 8-6) conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader Sunday at Shea Stadium. CSUB returns home to close the 2010 season with a four-game set against Saint Mary's College May 7-8 at the Roadrunner Softball Complex.
