DAVIS, Calif. – The Roadrunners dropped the first of two games on the final day of the Aggie Kick-Off, but the squad made sure CSU Bakersfield went out with a win. In the final game of the tournament for the 'Runners, senior Sydney Raeber earned a complete-game victory while tying a CSUB Division I strikeout record as Bakersfield downed UC Davis 4-2.

“This was a big team win,” Crissy Buck-Ziegler, Head Coach for CSUB, stressed after the 'Runner victory. “I thought the team came together very well after a bad loss this morning. Sydney threw very well. She had a great defense behind her, especially Kaylynn Burt, who made a phenomenal catch in the seventh.”

After suffering a tough, 8-0 loss to Montana on Sunday morning, the 'Runners rebounded to take down host UC Davis. Raeber's pitching performance was backed up by both a strong defense, which made big plays and committed no errors. The CSUB offense also came alive as six different 'Runners contributed to seven hits including senior Alex Simmons, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Aggies.

Game 1

Freshman Alyssa Stockton earned her first collegiate start against Montana on Sunday. A fielding error on the first batter of the bottom half of the first inning put the native of Delhi, Calif. in trouble. Stockton responded to the pressure well with a grounder and a strike out. Two walks, a base hit, another error, and a double steal later, the freshman found herself with a 3-0 deficit despite giving up no earned runs.

CSUB's best scoring chance of the game came in the top of the second when Jo Larios singled to lead off the inning. The junior catcher was later moved to second after sophomore Maddi Clark's single to right, but the next two 'Runners went down in order, ending the threat.

The Grizzlies added another run in the bottom of the second before Buck-Ziegler called for senior Amber Mills to come in to relieve for Stockton. Montana put one more run on the board to make the score 5-0 before Mills got CSUB out of the inning.

UM scored another pair of runs in the bottom of the third to push its lead to 7-0. After a double led off the Grizzlies' half of the fourth, junior Lyndsay Klimenko took over in the circle for CSUB. The native of Half Moon Bay, Calif. stranded Montana's baserunner in the fourth, but ultimately gave up the game-winning run in the fifth inning as the Grizzlies took an 8-0 lead.

Stockton (0-1) took the loss in the game after pitching 1.2 innings while giving up five runs (two earned) off of four hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. The 'Runners scattered five singles amongst five different women as the offense struggled to get going. Montana had three different student-athletes go 2-for-3 in the game while Sara Stephenson earned the complete-game shutout.

Game 2

After earning a victory on Monday against Sacramento State, Raeber got the nod to start in the final game of the tournament for the 'Runners. CSUB's veteran utility player worked around a few hits in the first two innings, mixing in three strikeouts to keep UC Davis off the scoreboard.

The Aggies eventually did score first after Brianna Warner earned her second hit and second steal of the game. The center fielder came around third on Alexis Carney's single and scored to give Davis a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Larios caught Carney trying to steal a base and the 'Runners got two more outs to keep CSUB's deficit at just one run.

Simmons, a senior shortstop, led off the bottom of the third inning with a single and promptly stole second base. Her third steal of the season gave CSUB a 'Runner in scoring position and sophomore Julea Cavazos hit her first collegiate triple, tying the score up at one run apiece. Raeber continued the scoring by driving in Cavazos with a single before Briana Pontecorvo's single ultimately scored Raeber to give the 'Runners a 3-1 lead.

The third error of the game for UC Davis came in the bottom of the fourth inning as Clark reached safely to lead off the inning. Junior Selena Gonzalez came in to pinch run for Clark and wound up scoring thanks to Simmons' double, extending the lead to 4-1.

In the top of the sixth, Raeber struggled a bit and eventually loaded the bases. The Hanford, Calif. native got the 'Runners out of trouble by inducing a grounder and striking out a pair of Aggies.

In the top of the seventh inning, UC Davis' Meghan Bradbury hit a solo home run to cut the 'Runner lead to just two runs. Buck-Ziegler stuck with Raeber and Burt pulled down two balls in the air before Raeber ended the game with a CSUB Division I single-game record tenth strikeout, preserving the 4-2 victory.

Raeber (2-0) finished with a complete-game victory while leading the 'Runners with 11.1 innings pitched on the tournament. The versatile senior also paced CSUB at the plate, going 5-for-12 (.417) with two RBI. Mills, a fellow senior, went 1-0 this weekend with 10.1 innings pitched in one start and three appearances.

Cavazos came in close behind Raeber, batting .375 (6-for-16) with three extra-base hits while Larios and Simmons each had five hits on the weekend. All three women also tied Raeber with two RBI in the tournament as CSUB showed a well-rounded offense on opening weekend.

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The Roadrunners (3-2) will return to Bakersfield and have a weekend off before heading back out on the road. CSUB will take on the Libbey Matson Tournament in Stockton, Calif., Feb. 26-28. Bakersfield will face off against Cal Poly and Pacific twice each before wrapping up the tournament by tackling the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday.

~GoRunners.com~