Long Beach State University
20-18, 10-9
UC Riverside
18-0, 9-10
Softball Splits Pair With UC Riverside
4/18/2025 9:54:00 PM | Softball
Jacquelyn Bickar, KaLeena Gonzales each had three hits in the game one win.
Long Beach State (20-19, 10-10 Big West) had a strong start offensively in the opening game. Working around a jam in the top of the first, the Beach took a 3-0 lead after the second inning. Corissa Sweet and KaLeena Gonzales opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and after loading the bases, a double from Selena Perez scored two runs to put the Beach in front. Jacquelyn Bickar then singled to score Perez as the Beach took an early lead.
UC Riverside (19-24, 10-10 Big West) answered back with a two-run home run in the top of the third, but the Beach offense went quickly back to work. Singles from Gonzales and Carly Robbins again served as a catalyst before a sac fly from Perez and another RBI single from Bickar to take a 5-2 lead. The Highlanders answered back with another two-run home run to cut the lead back once more, but the Beach again had an answer.
Sweet and Gonzales combined to start the inning with back-to-back hits in the fifth, and a sacrifice fly from Weisbrook made the score 7-4, and a leadoff triple from Bickar in the sixth led to another sacrifice fly for an important insurance run. The Highlanders scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, but Eryka Gonzales was able to close out the save as the Beach won the opener 8-6.
After a strong offensive performance in the opener, the Beach was stifled in the second by Maddie Heinlin, who allowed just three hits and one unearned run while striking out four on the way to the win. UC Riverside took an early lead in game two, as Mariana Palazuelos singled to start the second inning and was pushed around to score, with the big hit coming from Eta Lauti.
Long Beach State capitalized on an error in the fifth, moving Robbins around to score after a pinch hit double from freshman Alyssa Aguilar to tie the game. A double play ended the rally from the Beach though with the score tied at 1-1, and the Highlanders answered with five runs in the top of the sixth and two more in the seventh to pull away for an 8-1 win to even the series.
The series will be decided with a third and final game from the LBSU Softball Complex on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Live stats can be found at www.beachlivestats.com/.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Barnett, Kate (6-3)
L: PEREZ, B. (3-7)
S: Gonzales, Eryka (1)
Batting:
2B: JUAN, L. 1
HR: SAOLE, H. 1 ; ALDAY, J. 1
RBI: SAOLE, H. 2 ; ALDAY, J. 2 ; JUAN, L. 2
Base Running:
RUNS: KAHUNAHANA 2 ; SAOLE, H. 1 ; ALANO, A. 1 ; ALDAY, J. 2
HBP: MCELROY, I. 1 ; LAUTI, E. 1
Batting:
2B: Gonzales, KaLeena 1 ; Perez, Selena 1
3B: Bickar, Jacquelyn 1
RBI: Bickar, Jacquelyn 2 ; Medellin, Makayla 1 ; Gonzales, KaLeena 1 ; Weisbrook, Avery 1 ; Perez, Selena 3
SH: Robbins, Carly 1 ; Weisbrook, Avery 1
SF: Medellin, Makayla 1 ; Weisbrook, Avery 1 ; Perez, Selena 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bickar, Jacquelyn 1 ; Sweet, Corissa 2 ; Gonzales, KaLeena 3 ; Robbins, Carly 1 ; Perez, Selena 1
SB: Bickar, Jacquelyn 1 ; Medellin, Makayla 1 ; Sweet, Corissa 1
