FULLERTON, Calif. – A doubleheader in Southern California went the way of the home team as CSU Bakersfield's softball team dropped a pair of games against Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday evening. The Roadrunners took a tough, 3-0 loss in the opening game before falling 9-0 in six innings to close the night.
Game 1
Cal State Fullerton used a nice display of small ball in order to take an early, 2-0 lead on the `Runners in the top of the first inning. With a runner on base, senior outfielder Kaylynn Burt leaped at the fence and robbed a would-be home run to limit the damage.
In the bottom of the fourth, shortstop Cydney Curran snagged a line drive and flipped over to Chris Hipa at second for an inning-ending double play as CSUB's defense continued to keep the `Runners in the game.
In the top of the sixth, senior Maddi Clark led the frame off with a double off the left field wall. Clark's pinch runner, Ariana Felix, scampered over to third base on a wild pitch, but the `Runners were unable to bring her home and continued to trail 2-0 after their best scoring opportunity.
Fullerton added a run in the sixth for insurance and was able to hold off CSUB. CSUB left seven on base in the game as the Titans earned the 3-0 victory. Curran led the `Runner offense, posting two of CSUB's five hits in the game.
Senior Summer Evans pitched well in Tuesday night's first game, throwing six innings while giving up only three runs to the Titans.
Game 2
The Titans put two runners in scoring position with one out and drove in their first run of the game with a sacrifice fly. A two-out RBI single gave Cal State Fullerton a 2-0 advantage after the first inning.
Hipa and sophomore Karah Wiseman both singled in the top of the second, but a double play got the Titans out of the inning as CSUB's left-on-base woes continued.
Fullerton loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman pitcher Daryn Hitzel induced a grounder that should have been an out at home plate, but a poor throw scored a run for the Titans. The next batter drove in two runs with an RBI single as Cal State Fullerton took a 5-0 lead.
The Titans tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to six runs. With a pair of runners on base in the sixth, Sam Kennedy's three-run home run ended the game with a final score of 9-0. Cal State Fullerton improved to 14-17 with the victory.
Evans pitched 3.2 innings in relief for a total of 9.2 innings on the day. The native of Escondido, Calif. did not allow any earned runs in Game 2 of the doubleheader as four `Runner errors sunk Bakersfield's chances.
Hipa went 1-for-2 for the second straight game while underclassmen Wiseman and Gabrielle Fua each tallied a hit for CSUB.
This weekend, the `Runners (2-21) will hit the road again for their final regular-season tournament. CSUB will travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. to take on the Gaucho Classic. A rain storm is threatening to change the tournament's schedule, so, stay tuned to @CSUBAthletics on Twitter for the most up-to-date information on game times.
~GoRunners.com~
