Long Beach State University
11-11
UCF
18-5
Softball Stumbles Against UCF
3/7/2020 4:59:00 PM | Softball
Abby Lockman’s pinch hit double put the Beach on the board but the Beach didn’t have enough in a 6-1 defeat.
Long Beach State (11-11) finished with just one fewer hit than UCF (18-5), but the Knights strung theirs together in a big second inning and capitalized on a season high-tying seven combined walks from the pitching staff.
Freshman Morgan Quinlan got the start for Long Beach State and cruised through the first, but ran into trouble after a leadoff single from Shannan Doherty. The Knights followed that up with two walks to load the bases, and after a sac fly put UCF on the board, a hit batter and a two-run double from Jazmine Esparza gave the visitors a 3-0 lead, despite Ashley Coleman coming on and getting out of the inning with no further damage.
Coleman worked around trouble in the third, but back-to-back walks in the fourth led to a fourth run for UCF.
Long Beach State threatened in the sixth, but UCF was able to work out of a first-and-third jam by throwing out Sara Olson at the plate, and then added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh against Samantha Fowler.
Long Beach State would have six hits off of Gianna Mancha, and ruined the shutout bid as Kyra Snyder drew a two-out walk and came around to score on a double to the gap from Lockman, but a fly ball from Maddy Ruffin sealed the win for Mancha and UCF.
Abby Lockman with a double into the gap gives the Beach some life in the 7th, but the lead was too much as UCF takes a 6-1 win. #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/yQVOHTSPCb
— LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) March 7, 2020
The Beach returns to the LBSU Softball Complex for two more days of the Louisville Slugger Invitational. The diamond will play host to three games Sunday, including the Beach hosting San Diego State at 2 p.m., before a lone game Monday when Long Beach State takes on Boston U at 10 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gianna Mancha (5-2)
L: Quinlan, Mo (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Juliana Wilson 1 ; Jazmine Esparza 1
RBI: Shannon Doherty 1 ; Juliana Wilson 1 ; Karissa Ornelas 1 ; Kyra Klarkowski 1 ; Jazmine Esparza 2
SH: Justene Molina 1
SF: Kyra Klarkowski 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Damaria Cannon 1 ; Shannon Doherty 1 ; Jada Cody 2 ; Kasey Fava 1 ; Jazmine Esparza 1
CS: Denali Schappacher 1
HBP: Takiya London 1
Batting:
2B: Lockman, Abby 1
RBI: Lockman, Abby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Snyder, Kyra 1
CS: Olson, Sara 2
