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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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TeamWAC01
Western Athletic Conference
5
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 14-31
9
Winner Grand Canyon GCU 31-22
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
14-31
5
Final
9
Grand Canyon GCU
31-22
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 5 11 0
Grand Canyon GCU 3 0 0 2 4 0 X 9 9 0

W: Aguilar, Brianna (8-5) L: Azevedo, Kiara (6-7)

Game Recap: Softball |

`Runners Rally but GCU Powers to Victory



PHOENIX – The CSU Bakersfield softball team found itself in early trouble during Wednesday night's Western Athletic Conference Tournament game against third-seeded Grand Canyon. The Roadrunners rallied behind well-balanced hitting, but the Lopes' offense proved to be too much in front of GCU's home crowd as CSUB fell 9-5. Bakersfield will return to the GCU Softball Field Thursday afternoon for an elimination game.

In the bottom of the first inning, left-hander Kiara Azevedo got the first GCU batter to ground out, but went on to give up three-straight hits to the Lopes. The final hit in the spurt was a three-run home run by Savannah Tourville that saw GCU take a 3-0 lead. Azevedo responded well, getting the final two outs of the inning after the slip up.

Bakersfield's offense backed up its freshman pitcher in the top of the second with a pair of runs. Fellow freshman Samantha Pech started the rally with a single and quickly came around to score on junior Cydney Curran's school record 10th triple of the season. One of the nation's leaders in triples, Curran later scored on an RBI single from senior Paige Johnson as the `Runners cut GCU's advantage to just one run.

Azevedo kept the Lopes quiet in the second and third innings, but the long ball continued to hurt Bakersfield in the fourth when Lilly Bishop sent a two-run blast over the right center wall. The homer knocked Azevedo out of the game and brought sophomore Daryn Hitzel out to relieve. The lefty did well, inducing a groundout and striking out a Lope to end the frame with CSUB trailing 5-2.

Tourville extended GCU's lead in the bottom of the fifth, hitting her second home run of the night, this time, a grand slam. Hitzel bounced back to get three of the next four Lopes out and send the `Runners to the sixth inning down 9-2.

The `Runners remained unfazed and continued to chip away. Curran and Johnson recorded back-to-back sacrifice flies, cutting GCU's lead to five runs. Hitzel continued to throw well, retiring the GCU side in order in the bottom of the sixth.

CSUB headed to the top of the seventh down to their final three outs and needing a big rally to keep the game going. Senior Nicole Curry sent a monster blast over the left field safety nets, across the street, and onto the soccer field for the fifth home run of her career. Bakersfield continued hitting the ball hard, but GCU snagged a pair of line drives to end the game with a 9-5 victory.

Hipa, a senior from Aiea, Hawaii, led the `Runners with a 3-for-4 performance Wednesday night. Pech, CSUB's designated player, reached base safely all three times at the plate with two singles and a walk. Curran's 13th career triple moved Bakersfield's junior shortstop into a tie for ninth place in WAC history as well as a tie for CSUB's career record.

With the loss, CSUB (14-31) moved into an elimination game set for Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. (PT). The `Runners will not know their next opponent until after tomorrow morning's game between No. 1 Seattle U and No. 5 Kansas City at 10:30 a.m. The loser of that contest will meet the `Runners with both teams facing elimination and an early exit from the WAC Tournament.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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