Long Beach State University
UC Riverside
Extra Innings Stay Unlucky For The Beach
4/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Riverside, Calif. - Missed chances were the theme for Long Beach State in the series opener, as the 49ers left six runners on base in regulation and squandered a 2-0 lead in extra innings on the way to a 3-2 loss at UC Riverside in 10 innings on the road. The Beach is now 0-6 in 2015 in extra innings.
Christina Clermont had a career-high 8.0 inning outing, allowing just one hit and no runs over the first eight innings of the game. She was matched pitch-for-pitch by Christina Ponce of UC Riverside (30-9, 2-2 Big West) who improved to 22-5 on the year after a complete game, 10 inning performance.
Both Ponce and Clermont overmatched the hitters early. Clermont went just two batters over the minimum through six innings, keeping Long Beach State (15-20, 2-2 Big West) in the action despite the 49ers not getting on the board.
A lack of timely hitting hurt the 49ers in regulation, as the Beach left runners on third in three straight innings, keeping the game scoreless through seven innings as the teams went into extras.
After an uneventful eighth inning, Lauren Lombardi singled to start the inning, and Julia Lombardi crushed an opposite field home run to score the first runs of the game, and putting the 49ers in front.
Clermont suffered the same fate as her counterpart Ponce in the bottom half however, giving up a leadoff single and a home run before turning the ball over to Amanda Hansen after a third single. With two runners in scoring position, Shayna Kimbrough was able to cut down a runner at the plate, and a groundout got the 49ers out of the inning to push the game into the 10th.
Long Beach State was unable to use a leadoff single in the top half, and the Highlanders capitalized in the bottom half. After a leadoff single, Julia Lombardi was unable to hold on to the catch at first base, and on another bunt from the next batter, the freshman sailed the throw into right field, allowing Stephanie Tickmeyer to come home unearned with the winning run.
The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader in Riverside beginning at Noon.
