SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Bakersfield split two games on the first day of the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho Classic I.

The 'Runners got their first win of the young softball season by holding off Dayton in a 1-0 pitchers' duel. Junior pitcher Kelsie Monroe (Los Banos, Calif., San Joaquin Delta College) led Bakersfield with a strong performance, giving up only three hits, and striking out five in six innings pitched.

Bakersfield struck early, claiming the lead in just the first inning. Leadoff batter Karissa Veiga (Sr., Hemet, Calif., Hemet HS) singled to left and promptly stole second base. Veiga was bunted over to third and score the eventual game-winning run off of Sydney Raeber's (So., Hanford, Calif., Hanford HS) sacrifice fly to center.

The single run would prove to be enough because of the 'Runners pitching duo of Monroe and Raeber. Monroe took a no hitter into the fifth inning and would not allow another hit until the bottom of the seventh. Despite allowing the tying run to reach base in the fifth and sixth innings, Monroe shut the Flyers down to keep Bakersfield in the lead.

After giving up two singles to lead off the seventh, head coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler pulled Monroe and brought in Raeber to close. Raeber got the job done, fanning two Flyers and inducing a line out to earn the close for herself while getting Monroe the win.

Game two began shortly after the conclusion of game one as the 'Runners took on No. 11 Texas A&M. Bakersfield would eventually fall by a score of 14-8.

The 'Runners struck first as Amy Ricciardi (Sr., Chino Hills, Calif., Ayala HS) singled home freshman Cassidy Santiago (Lake Elsinore, Calif., Temescal Canyon HS) in the first ining. The Aggies would answer back in the bottom half of the inning by loading the bases and scoring when Cali Lanphear was hit by a pitch.

The Roadrunners regained the lead in the second inning off of a Veiga single which scored Kayli Shaw (Fr., Rocklin, Calif., Whitney HS). The Aggies would take back the lead with a three run inning, fueled by Nicole Morgan's two-run blast. This round of runs opened the door for the rest of the high-scoring game.

The 'Runners traded multiple runs back and forth with the Aggies in the fourth through sixth innings, but Texas A&M's four runs in the bottom of the sixth proved to be enough to hold on for a comfortable win. In their last three offensive innings, the Aggies scored 10 runs much to the thanks of their catcher, Nicole Morgan, who added grand slams in the fifth and sixth to bring her game totals to three homers and 10 RBI.

Bakersfield kept the pressure on Texas A&M by scoring six runs during the same three inning span. Veiga and Ricciardi each added two RBI in the game along with one RBI from three other Roadrunners. With a total of eight runs scored, the 'Runner softball program scored its most runs in a single game since a 10-7 win over Oregon State on March 25, 2013.

The 'Runners return to action on Sunday as they continue play at the Gaucho Classic I. Bakersfield (1-3) starts the morning off with a rematch against Dayton at 11 a.m. and follows that with a game against the host team, UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m.

You can follow Bakersfield's games tomorrow using the following link to UCSB live stats:

~www.GoRunners.com~