Softball Splits Opening Day Doubleheader With Nevada, No. 3 Oklahoma

Friday, February 7

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

8 a.m.

Long Beach State University

1-0

Nevada

0-3

Nevada

Long Beach State

Softball Splits Opening Day Doubleheader With Nevada, No. 3 Oklahoma

2/7/2020 2:47:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Kellie White had a dominant start, allowing one hit while striking out six in a complete-game effort over Nevada.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Long Beach State rolled to a 9-2 win to open the season against Nevada and then gave No. 3 Oklahoma a scare, but the Sooners put up four runs in the seventh on the way to a 10-3 win in LBSU's second game to kick off the season at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

                Senior Kellie White got the nod to start the opening game of the 2020 season for Long Beach State (1-1), and was outstanding in her first start of the season. Striking out six batters, White allowed just one hit and both runs that came around to score reached on leadoff errors.

                The first came in the top of the first as Nevada (0-3) took a brief lead over the Beach. After an error put Sierra Mello on base, the leadoff batter stole second and then came home on the lone single of the game from Kenzi Goins to give the Wolf Pack a 1-0 lead.

                Long Beach State bounced straight back and took advantage of a sloppy first-weekend kind of game from Nevada while also pounding out 14 hits themselves. That started in the bottom of the first, as Sydney McCollum singled to start the game, and after a fielder's choice, back-to-back errors score Naomi Hernandez to tie the game at one.

                White would allow just one more baserunner on a second error the rest of the way, and the offense got back to work in the next inning. Breezy Wise smashed a double off the wall to start the inning, the first of three hits for the senior. Followed by hits from Emily Salazar, McCollum and Hernandez plus another Nevada error and a sacrifice fly from Abby Lockman the Beach took the lead.

?? #GoBeach #SCtop10 https://t.co/sztLDOoiB6 — LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) February 7, 2020

                Wise scored in the fifth after another single, and more errors after a leadoff walk helped the Beach push the lead up to seven in the sixth inning, where it would stay in a 9-2 win.

We caught up with game one winner @kwhite_12 to talk about her one-hitter and experience at the @PVCollegeSB so far! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/1HGIjTkM9h — LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) February 7, 2020

                Game Two Friday against No. 3 Oklahoma (2-0) was closer than the scoreline indicated, with Long Beach State finishing with just three fewer hits, but the Sooners cashed in nearly every chance on the day.

                That started in the first inning, as freshman Morgan Quinlan started a little wild in her first collegiate start, walking the leadoff batter and then hitting a second before a two-run double from Kinzie Hansen gave the Sooners a 2-0 lead.

                Quinlan settled in, and struck out a pair in the heart of the Oklahoma lineup to get out of the first, and looked to get out of the second after picking up two outs, but Jocelyn Alo put a 3-2 pitch over the wall to give the Sooners a 5-0 lead.

                Long Beach State battled back. Drawing back-to-back walks at the top of the lineup from McCollum and Hernandez in the third, junior Alyssa Gonzalez got the Beach on the board with an RBI single.

                The Sooners pushed across a run in the top of the fourth, but Lockman cut the lead to three with a two-run home run, the first of the season for the Beach that made the score 6-3.

                Ashley Coleman, pitching in relief, finished off her second clean inning of relief in the top of the sixth, and Long Beach State looked to rally in the bottom half.

                Back-to-back errors put two runners on for the Beach, and Salazar was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Shannon Saile battled back for Oklahoma though, striking out Justine Briones and getting a groundout from Sydney McCollum. With the momentum turned, Oklahoma scored four runs in the seventh and got the win.

                Long Beach State will play another two games in Mexico on Saturday, facing Utah Valley to start the day again at 8 a.m. PT before taking on George Washington at 1 p.m. PT.