Box Score FRESNO, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield softball team finished the Bulldog Classic on Sunday against St. Mary's looking for their first win of the year.  And they would get it, breaking their nine-game losing streak to open the season and are now 1-9 on the year with a 6-5 victory.  There is one thing CSUB Head Coach Crissy Buck-Ziegler found out about her team today.  Her team has F-I-G-H-T!!
 
Summer Evans would get the call to start on the mound for the `Runners and the senior would throw two scoreless innings to start the game, but St. Mary's would get to her in the third and the Gaels would get three runs on five hits to take a 3-0.  Freshman Daryn Hitzel would come in from the bullpen to help minimize the damage and eventually strand the bases loaded with Gaels.
 
But the `Runners would answer immediately in the bottom half of the third with three of their own.  The big hit would come from 'Runners senior Maddi Clark on a two-out base hit up the middle to drive in Cydney Curran and Julea Cavazos.
 
Hitzel would go 1 2/3, allowing two hits and no runs.  Kaycee Olson would take over to start the fifth and the freshman would go 3 innings, allowing two hits and two runs (both earned), but would eventually get the win and is now 1-3 on the season.
 
The Gaels would get two runs in the fifth, but that would be all Olson would allow.  And once again, the `Runners would answer St. Mary's immediately in the bottom half of the inning, but this time, they would not just tie the game, CSUB would take the lead. 
 
The `Runners would score three times in the bottom of the fifth and CSUB would get all their runs with two outs.  Curran would get hit by a pitch to start the fifth and with two outs, Clark would get hit as well.  With two outs, freshman Gabrielle Fua would double down the left field line to tie the game and junior Chris Hipa would follow with the game-winning base hit up the middle and CSUB led 6-5. 
 
Olson would shut the door, including a 1-2-3 top of the seventh and the `Runners have their first win of the year. 

Coach Buck-Ziegler would say, "This team needed that victory today.  They battled and fought as an entire team and deserved the win."
 
The `Runners will be back in action next weekend, Feb. 24-25 with a three-game set against this same St. Mary's squad in Moraga, Calif.