Beach Softball Splits Doubleheader To Close Series At CSUN

Saturday, April 1

Northridge, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

17-15, 7-1

CSUN

13-15, 5-3

Long Beach State

CSUN

4/1/2023 6:20:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Sophomore Rebekah Durazo had two hits in the first game, a 6-3 win.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State suffered their first series loss of the season, riding a hot start to win game one before falling in game two in Saturday's doubleheader at CSUN.

Long Beach State (Record) jumped out to a big lead in the top of the first to begin the day. An error put Jacquelyn Bickar on, and after a single from Sara Olson, Bickar beat the throw home to give the Beach a 1-0 lead and two on. Scoring more on an overthrow on a double steal, CSUN (Record) walked the bases loaded, and senior Cam Cecil doubled off of the wall to score a pair, making the score 4-0. Cassie Camou then added one more on a sacrifice fly as the Beach batted around in the first inning.

T1 | Off the wall from Cam Cecil! The senior keeps the rally going and it's 4-0 Beach in the first! #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/8FpQWhGBrF
— LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) April 1, 2023

CSUN battled back, scoring three unanswered runs. The Matadors started with a rally in the second inning as Shayla Whatman walked and Gizella Vargas-Sandoval singled to put two on with no outs. CSUN worked to bring home both runs, though Samantha Fowler, entering in relief, closed out the inning by inducing a foul ball with the bases loaded. Another early walk led to a run in the fourth, as Carys Murakami walked with one out, and came home after two CSUN singles, the last coming from Maiya Alemania.

Emily Salazar reached on an error in the fifth inning and moved into scoring position after a Rebekah Durazo single. Corissa Sweet, pinch hitting, brought home Salazar with an RBI single to give the Beach an extra run of cushion.

T5 | Pinch hitter Corissa Sweet comes through to score Emily Salazar! Beach with another run on the board. LBSU 6, CSUN 3 #GoBeach pic.twitter.com/lB7Qr4CwCZ
— LBSU Softball (@LBSUSoftball) April 1, 2023

                Fowler, who entered in the second inning in relief, went the rest of the way to pick up the win, her second of the year. Fowler struck out five in 5.1 innings of work, allowing one run in game one.

                CSUN took the first lead of the second game in the first inning. Sophia Fernandez walked two to start the game, and a groundout and a sacrifice fly pushed in one run in the opening frame.

                Things fell apart for the Beach in the fourth. Fernandez, who hadn't allowed a hit in the first three innings, gave up a pair of bloop singles to start the inning. A defensive miscue allowed the Matadors to load the bases, and CSUN made Long Beach State pay. A single from Maddie Padilla allowed CSUN to go station to station, and a walk brought home another run.

                Two outs gave the Beach hope of limiting the damage, but a hit batter brought home a third run while leaving the bases loaded, and finally a bases clearing single with a little help from an error broke the game wide open, giving CSUN a 7-0 lead after four.

                Shelby Frutoz limited the damage from there, striking out two and giving up just one hit with no walks over two and a third.

                The Beach mounted a rally in the final inning. Durazo walked with one out to get the action started, and singles from Cam Cecil and Mikayla Ceballos loaded the bases. A two-out walk ended the shutout from Lauryn Carranco, but a controversial final out saw the Matadors close out the 7-1 victory.

Long Beach State will return to the LBSU Softball Complex for their next series, facing UC San Diego for three games beginning with a Friday night contest under the lights at 6 p.m. on April 6. The series will then finish with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 7. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.