Long Beach State University
Sacramento State
Softball Opens Season With Two Dominant Wins
2/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Box Score (Game 1) | Box Score (Game 2) | Photo Gallery 
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State could hardly have asked for more in an opening day, as Christina Clermont and Amanda Hansen threw back-to-back shutouts and the 49er offense provided plenty of support as the Beach won 8-0 over Sacramento State and 4-0 over Northwestern State Friday.
The pitching was the highlight of the day for the Beach however. New transfer Christina Clermont made her 49er debut in the opener, and had a great outing, allowing just one hit over five innings to earn her second complete game shutout in Division I.
Long Beach State (2-0) jumped out to an early lead against the Sacramento State and never looked back. Shayna Kimbrough kicked off the season with a double, and scored on a Hornets fielding error. The 49ers continued to take advantage of the miscue, as a bases loaded error scored another run, and a double by Haley Tobler knocked in two more runs as the Beach opened up a 4-0 lead.
The Beach scored another run in the third inning, and tacked on three more in the fourth inning, using another Sacramento State error along with RBIs from Lauren Lombardi and Hannah Cookson.
Game two featured much of the same, as the 49ers continued to get production up and down the lineup along with an outstanding performance in the circle. Amanda Hansen notched win number 30 in her career and shutout number 10, going seven strong innings while striking out four and allowing just three hits.
Offensively, the 49ers got going early again against Northwestern State. A leadoff walk and steal from Kimbrough put a runner in scoring position for Leilani Tupua-Taualatasi, who doubled to bring home the first run of the game. A Taututalafua walk started another rally, as the junior came around to score after a single and an RBI groundout.
Long Beach State once again capitalized on an error in the second, as Julia Lombardi walked and scored on a throwing error as Tobler reached third on the next play. Kimbough was then able to bring home the fourth and final run of the game with an RBI groundout, closing out an impressive opening day as Hansen kept the door shut for the rest of the game against the Lady Demons.
Long Beach State returns to action tomorrow with day two of the SoCal Collegiate Classic at the 49er Softball Complex. The 49ers will host Utah at 9 a.m. and Idaho State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
