SAN DIEGO-- After picking up their first two wins of the season on Saturday, the Roadrunner softball team fell to Kent State 1-0 before knocking off the host San Diego 4-2. CSUB is now 3-7 after finishing the USD Tournament 3-2.

“It was a good weekend all around,” said Crissy Buck-Ziegler, Bakersfield's head coach. “We are playing great ball. It was unfortunate that we couldn't get timely hits behind Sydney in the first game. She is playing very confidently right now. In the second game, we stepped up to every pitch. Kelsie pitched a great game and Natalie came up with a crucial triple to give us the two-run cushion.”

Game 1 - Kent State 1, CSUB 0

The fourth game of the USD Tournament was a pitchers' duel as Kent State's Alyssa Frankenfield impressed in the circle and picked up the win. Sydney Raeber (Jr., Hanford, Calif., Hanford HS) earned her first start of the season in the circle for CSUB and pitched well, allowing only two hits through the first four innings.

The 'Runners applied pressure first, getting two on in the top of the second, but Frankenfield would get out of trouble with a groundout. CSUB pressed again in the top of the fourth when Nicole Curry (Fr., Martinez, Calif., Alhambra HS) hit a double down the line. The 'Runners used two outs to move her pinch runner to third, but failed to capitalize on the opportunity to score.

Raeber, a righty from Hanford, got into trouble in the bottom of the fifth after giving up two singles. After a sacrifice bunt moved both runners over, Kim Kirkpatrick drove in a run with a single to right field. The Golden Flashes tried to make it two runs on the single, but the throw in gunned down the second runner to keep the score at 1-0.

Emma Johnson came in to relieve Frankenfield in the fifth and earned a two-inning save. The two pitchers tallied six strikeouts and allowed just five hits in the combined shutout. Raeber pitched five innings, allowing only one run off of five hits while striking out four batters. She also led the 'Runner offense with two singles in three at bats. Bakersfield sunk to 2-7 with the loss while Kent State improved to 4-2.

Game 2 - CSUB 4, San Diego 2

Behind the hot hitting of Raeber and the solid pitching of senior Kelsie Monroe (Los Banos, Calif., San Joaquin Delta College), the 'Runners knocked off the host team. Raeber finished the game 3-for-4 and the day 5-for-7 with 2 RBI. Monroe picked up her second win of the tournament and finished with five strikeouts while scattering four hits in her thid complete game effort in as many days.

CSUB opened the scoring in the top of the second inning. The 'Runners had the bases loaded with two outs when Raeber continued her hot hitting with a 2-RBI single to take a 2-0 lead. The Toreros answered right back in the bottom half of the inning tying the game thanks to a double, a triple, and a sacrifice fly.

Monroe responded well to the challenge, retiring nine straight batters after the triple and giving her team a chance to retake the lead. Raeber stayed hot at the plate, improving to 5-for-6 on the day with a single in the top of the fifth. The junior would eventually score on a USD defensive miscue to give CSUB a 3-2 lead.

San Diego ruffled Monroe's feathers in the bottom half of the fifth, putting runners on the corners, but the senior pitcher shut the door to preserve the lead. Natalie Saucedo (Jr., Burlingame, Calif., College of San Mateo) picked up an RBI in the top of the seventh to give CSUB a 4-2 lead. Saucedo recorded the first triple of the season for the 'Runners with a woman on first which led the insurance run.

USD would not go quietly as the Toreros led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. With runners on first and second and one out, Monroe caught a batter looking and then induced a groundout to solidify the win. Bakersfield improved to 3-7 while USD fell to an even 5-5 on the year.

The 'Runners will return to Bakersfield for their home opener, Saturday, Feb. 21. CSUB will host Pacific in a doubleheader with first pitch of Game 1 scheduled for 12 p.m. at the Roadrunner Softball Complex. Admission is free for CSUB softball games and parking is also free during athletic events this season, so, come out and support the 'Runners.

~GoRunners.com~