NORTHRIDGE, Calif.-- Roadrunner softball began the Cal State Northridge Tournament with games against Harvard and the tournament hosts on Friday. Bakersfield went 1-1 on the day.

Game 1

The Roadrunners took on Harvard in the opening game of the tournament as the 'Runners defeated the Crimson in extra innings by a score of 2-1.

Bakersfield got on the board first with a single run in the fourth inning. After Jessica Castaneda (So., Bakersfield, Calif., Ridgeview HS) singled, her pinch runner was moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt and then single home thanks to Briana Pontecorvo's (So., Hanford, Calif., San José State) RBI to center field.

Although she only allowed two hits through the first four innings, Bakersfield's starter, Kelsie Monroe (Jr., Los Banos, Calif., San Joaquin Delta College), found herself in a spot of trouble in the fifth. Harvard managed to score a run off of two singles and a hit by pitch that would tie the score at 1-1.

The score would remain the same through regulation and the international tiebreaker process would be put into effect in the eighth inning. Harvard had its runner placed at second base in the top of the eighth, but the team was unable to score. With runners on the corners and one out, the Crimson were caught stealing second base and promptly thrown out at home to end the threat.

Kayli Shaw (Fr., Rocklin, Calif., Whitney HS) was placed on second in the bottom half of the inning and it only took one pitch for the 'Runners to finish the job. Bakersfield's hottest hitter, Karissa Veiga (Sr., Hemet, Calif., Hemet HS), reached first safely on her sacrifice bunt and an error sent Shaw home for the game-winning run.

Harvard's two pitchers, Morgan Groom and Taylor Cabe, combined for seven innings pitched while allowing only four hits and one earned run. Nevertheless, Monroe battled pitch for pitch with the Crimson. The junior pitched all eight innings for the Roadrunners while allowing seven hits, but only one walk and one earned run in the win.

Game 2

Bakersfield returned to the diamond in the afternoon with a 5-2 loss to the host Matadors.

Cal State Northridge struck early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. A leadoff single by Abby Linn was followed up with a two-run home run down the right field line by Taylor Glover.

Bakersfield answered back with two runs of its own in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Sydney Raeber (So., Hanford, Calif., Hanford HS) started out with a leadoff double and would later score on Ashley Carter's (Jr., Tehachapi, Calif., Tehachapi HS) RBI single. The infield hit ended up scoring Briana Pontecorvo (So., Hanford, Calif., San José State) as well after CSUN's shortstop committed an error.

The Matadors responded immeditely with three runs in the next half inning to take a 5-2 lead. Although the 'Runners would put base runners on in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, Bakersfield was unable to captialize and fell to the Matadors who held on to their 5-2 lead.

Two CSUB pitchers, Amber Mills (So., Fresno, Calif., Clovis West HS) and Lyndsay Klimenko (Fr., Half Moon Bay, Calif., Half Moon Bay HS), combined for five hits and four walks but only two earned runs allowed in six innings pitched. Bakersfield's offense was productive but spaced out as six different 'Runners had one hit and Carter added the only RBI in the game.

The 'Runners will return to the diamond tomorrow for a rematch against Harvard at nine a.m. before playing two games on Sunday to close out the CSUN Tournament.

~www.GoRunners.com~