Long Beach State University
8-4, 4-0
UC Davis
6-17, 0-4
Perfect Start To Big West Play Continues For Long Beach State Softball
3/27/2021 6:22:00 PM | Softball
Long Beach State won both halves of a road doubleheader at UC Davis to improve to 5-0 in Big West action.
In game one, Long Beach State (9-4, 5-0 Big West) piled up a season-high 14 hits and rolled to an 8-3 victory at UC Davis (6-18, 0-5 Big West). The Beach struck first, scoring in the top of the first as Naomi Hernandez kicked off the inning with a single, the first of three in a 3-for-3 contest for the junior. The Beach followed with singles from Sara Olson and Alyssa Gonzalez loaded the bases, and a sacrifice fly from Suzy Brookshire brought home the first run of the game.
Brookshire would deliver again in the third inning, as Hernandez walked before an Olson single in front of the senior who hit her fourth home run of the week, a three-run shot to open up a 4-0 lead for Long Beach State.
Two walks to start the bottom of the third would help the Aggies get back into the game, scoring both to cut the lead in half, 4-2. Kellie White bounced back with a scoreless fourth, and the Beach opened the lead back up in the fifth.
Back-to-back singles from Alyssa Gonzalez and Suzy Brookshire put two on, and after a fielder's choice for the second out Cam Cecil sparked a two-out rally with a two-run triple. An RBI double from Emily Salazar and a RBI single from Hernandez followed as the Beach took an 8-2 lead.
The Aggies added a lone run in the sixth, but White would go the distance to pick up her fifth win of the season, striking out five.
Pitching was the story in the second game, as Shannon Haddad out-dueled Kenedi Brown to improve to 4-0 while striking out a season-high six batters. An inning-ending strikeout in the first inning helped the freshman get out of an early jam, and neither side could break the deadlock through four innings.
Salazar picked up the second hit of the game in the fifth inning for the Beach, and Ashley Machado followed with a clutch double, scoring the winning run. A leadoff double from Kyra Snyder in a pinch hit appearance set the stage in the seventh inning for an insurance run, as the Beach moved the runner over and then in on a single from Machado, who had both RBI for LBSU in the second game.
Haddad closed out the seventh for a complete game and her second shutout of the season for Long Beach State.
The series concludes with a third and final game tomorrow in Davis, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: White, Kellie (5-2)
L: Fitzgerald, Taylor (2-8)
Batting:
2B: Salazar, Emily 1 ; Seip, Rylie 1
3B: Machado, Ashley 1
HR: Brookshire, Suzy 1
RBI: Hernandez, Naomi 1 ; Brookshire, Suzy 4 ; Machado, Ashley 2 ; Salazar, Emily 1
SF: Brookshire, Suzy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hernandez, Naomi 2 ; Olson, Sara 1 ; Gonzalez, Alyssa 1 ; Brookshire, Suzy 1 ; Cecil, Cam 1 ; Machado, Ashley 1 ; Salazar, Emily 1
SB: Hernandez, Naomi 1
Batting:
3B: Jauregui, Marissa 1
RBI: Starks, Sarah 1 ; Pahulu, Bella 1
SH: Polson, Leah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kisling, Sommer 1 ; Leon, Isabella 1 ; McMahan, Libbie 1
SB: Kisling, Sommer 1 ; Leon, Isabella 2 ; Starks, Sarah 1 ; Bower, Megan 1 ; McMahan, Libbie 1 ; Pahulu, Bella 1
