STOCKTON, Calif. -- After Day One was rained out, Bakersfield softball opened the University of the Pacific Libby Matson Tournament with a 9-0 loss to No. 2/7 Washington.

The Roadrunners kept up with the high-powered Huskies for the majority of the game as Bakersfield's starting pitcher, Kelsie Monroe (Jr., Los Banos, Calif., San Joaquin Delta College), took a two-hitter into the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Bakersfield struggled to get aboard against Washington's Kasey Stanchek who finished the game with six innings pitched, one hit, and no runs allowed.

Once the pitchers' duel of the first four innings was over, Washington struck first with a run in the fifth thanks to a home run from Hooch Fagaly. Jessica Castaneda (So., Bakersfield, Calif., Ridgeview HS) had the lone Roadrunner hit of the game in the bottom half of the fifth with a single to right field, but the threat of equalizing was neutralized when Bakersfield's pinch runner got caught stealing.

The Huskies showed their power in the sixth and final inning by posting eight runs off of five hits and two walks. The climax of the inning was Bridget Raftery's pinch-hit grand slam which gave the Huskies their final four runs. The bottom of the sixth would be the 'Runners' last stand because of the eight-run rule, but a comeback was not in the cards Saturday.

The 'Runners return to action with a doubleheader on Sunday. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 12:15 p.m., while the second game will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

~www.GoRunners.com~