SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield's softball team opened up the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho Classic II with a pair of losses on Thursday. The Roadrunners took on San Diego in the morning, but fell 6-1 before their comeback came up short in a 5-3 loss against host UCSB.

Game 1

Senior Sydney Raeber put the 'Runners ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning with an RBI single to the San Diego shortstop. Raeber's hit scored junior Selena Gonzalez, who reached first on a walk and advanced to third on Julea Cavazos' bunt single.

CSUB committed a pair of errors which helped San Diego tie the score at 1-1 in the top of the second. The Toreros went on to load the bases after Mary Grabowski came around to score, but starter Lyndsay Klimenko got the 'Runners out of the inning with a foul out to preserve the tie.

The 'Runners tried to answer back in the bottom half of the second, using singles by Josie Flores and Adrianna Cardoza. Flores remained hot, recording a hit in her third straight game and bringing her season batting average up to .333 after it was .125 four days prior. Much like their troubles on Tuesday against Cal State Fullerton, the 'Runners were unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position and remained tied 1-1.

Both teams remained quiet for a couple of innings until the top of the fifth. San Diego took advantage of a pair of singles and a passed ball to go ahead 2-1. The Toreros continued to threaten, putting a runner on third with two outs, but Amber Mills, who came on to relieve at the start of the fourth, got the 'Runners out of the inning with a fly out to Raeber in center.

An RBI single by Sarah Stone in the top of the sixth helped USD gain a 3-1 advantage. After a walk, Olivia Sandusky's double to the right center gap gave the Toreros two more runs. Taylor Spence's infield single capped the scoring off as she drove in the fourth run of the inning for USD, which took a 6-1 lead. The 'Runners were unable to mount a comeback and fell by that score.

CSUB recorded six hits from six different players as Raeber had the only RBI in the game. Mills took a hard-luck loss while pitching 2.0 innings in relief and giving up only one run, which was unearned. The senior fell to 3-6 on the season in the defeat while CSUB dropped to 6-17.

Game 2

In the top of the second, senior Briana Pontecorvo singled to put 'Runners on the corners after Nadia Amezcua's lead-off single. Cardoza sent a hard grounder up the middle to plate Amezcua and set CSUB up to take a 2-0 lead when Pontecorvo scored on an error.

Another big inning hurt the 'Runners as UCSB answered right back in the bottom of the second. Four singles and a pair of hit batters helped the Gauchos score four runs and take a 4-2 lead. CSUB battled back in the next half inning, bringing Gonzalez around to score after a walk. Catcher Jo Larios' sacrifice fly plated Gonzalez and made the score 4-3.

UC Santa Barbara tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth as the 'Runners headed to their final three outs with a 5-3 deficit. The 'Runners were retired in order in the seventh and CSUB fell to the Gauchos.

Pontecorvo put together the only multi-hit game of the day for the 'Runners. The senior first baseman went 2-for-2 while also reaching base with a walk. Gonzales extended her hitting streak to seven games with a single in each game on Thursday. The junior second baseman went 1-for-3 against USD, reaching base safely twice thanks to a walk, before going 1-for-3 with a walk against UCSB. 

Klimenko, who struggled in the first game, pitched four outstanding innings in relief against UCSB. The junior right hander only allowed one run on three hits, but the 'Runner offense could not come from behind as freshman Alyssa Stockton took the loss.

The Roadrunners (6-18) will be back in action on Friday with a single game in the UCSB Gaucho Classic II. CSU Bakersfield will take on Santa Clara, a team that the 'Runners defeated 10-2 just last week, with first pitch scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

~GoRunners.com~