Long Beach State University
CSUN
Carrasco leads 49ers to win over Cal State Northridge
4/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 10, 2011
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Freshman Sarah Carrasco hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Long Beach State the lead for good on Sunday as the 49ers handed Cal State Northridge a 6-2 loss at the 49er Softball Complex.
Carrasco delivered a two-out home run, her second of the season, to help the 49ers rally from an early deficit. Cal State Northridge (14-24, 2-4 Big West) took the lead off LBSU starter Erin Jones-Wesley when Madeline Sale delivered a seeing-eye single on a flare that landed just out of the reach of both first baseman Christina Schallig and second baseman Nalani St. Germain.
The 49ers (25-13, 3-3 Big West) added to the lead with two runs in the bottom of the second to put LBSU up 4-1. Jones-Wesley and Dana Garcia hit back-to-back doubles to right center to put the 49ers up 3-1. Caitrin DeBaun added a RBI single scoring Garcia to give Long Beach State a three-run lead.
Northridge cut the lead to 4-2 in the top of the fifth scoring one run, but it could have been worse for LBSU if not for some clutch pitching by reliever Taylor Petty. Tracy Allen drove in the CSUN run with a single after Jaci Carlsen led off the inning with a single and Mikayla Thielges was hit by a pitch by Jones-Wesley. The 49ers turned to Petty who, with runners on first and second and nobody out, got out of the inning without giving up a run. The junior pitcher got Sale to ground out to first, before enticing Samantha Sloniker to line out to second base and Kristen Mihm to pop out to the catcher.
The 49ers put the game away in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs. Liz Javier picked up a RBI single scoring St. Germain who had led off with a double. Schallig added a run-scoring double off Allen's glove at third scoring Carrasco who had walked.
Petty finished off the Matadors retiring all nine batters she faced to pick up her second save of the season. Jones-Wesley (14-4) earned the win allowing four hits over four-plus innings. Javier and Garcia each had two hits to lead the 49ers' 10-hit attack.
The 49ers took the weekend series 2-1 after splitting a doubleheader with the Matadors on Saturday.
