Long Beach State University
CSUN
Long Beach State Slugs Their Way To Doubleheader Sweep
5/11/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Northridge, Calif. - No. 20 Long Beach State piled up 23 hits and 16 runs over two games, rolling to a pair of victories on the road at CSUN in the final Big West Conference series for the Beach.
Long Beach State (42-11, 16-4 Big West) left two runners stranded in the second and third innings, and CSUN (22-36, 6-14) would take the first lead in game one. After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice, an RBI double from Jessica Alexander put the Matadors on top 1-0.
The Beach bounced back with a huge fourth inning. Long Beach State picked up five straight hits to start the inning. With the bases loaded, Grayce Majam brought in a pair with a two-run single, and then doubles from Jamie Wren and Nichole Fry tacked on three more as Long Beach State took a 5-1 lead.
A two-run home run from Julia Lombardi added two more runs to the LBSU total in the fifth inning. CSUN would chip away at the lead, first scoring three runs in the fifth inning after a 49er error, and then cutting the lead to two at 7-5 on a solo home run from Kira Cauley.
A second double play of the game helped Long Beach State move through the seventh, as Megan Stevens hit a solo home run to cut the lead to 7-6, but Jessica Flores finished out the game to collect her 10th win of the year and her eighth complete game in 2018.
Nichole Fry finished Friday's doubleheader with four hits and four RBI over two games. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/93scMTeBKw
-- LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) May 12, 2018
The Beach jumped to an early lead in game two as the top of the lineup produced immediately. After a leadoff single from Fry, Naomi Hernandez doubled to open the scoring, and after a walk to Taylor Rowland, Lauren MacLeod delivered another hit to bring in another run. A sacrifice fly from Grayce Majam scored one more as LBSU took a 3-0 lead after the first inning.
Fry kept it going for the Beach in the second, hitting her seventh home run of the season to spark another rally. Hernandez followed with a double, and after the Beach loaded the bases, a sacrifice fly from Tierra Falo and an RBI single from Lombardi gave the 49ers a 6-0 lead.
Wren singled to start the third inning, and after stealing second and moving to third on a groundout, the junior scored on a sacrifice fly from Fry. Falo doubled with two outs in the fourth inning, and Lombardi brought home pinch runner Katelyn Hansen to increase the lead to 8-0.
Fry and Hernandez combined for another run in the fifth inning, which would end up being an important insurance run as CSUN scored one in the bottom half on a two-out error in the outfield, but Meza retired the next batter to close out the 9-1 win in five innings.
Meza struck out seven in the complete game, giving up one hit and one unearned run on the way to her 22nd win of the season.
The regular season concludes on Saturday, May 12 with the final game of the series beginning at 1 p.m. Watch the action live on ESPN3, or follow along at www.longbeachstate.com.
