May 7, 2005
LONG BEACH, Calif. -
The No. 24-ranked Long Beach State softball team defeated UC Santa Barbara, 6-2 and 8-1 in a pair of Big West Conference games at the 49er Softball Complex on Saturday. Long Beach State improved to 35-14, 15-2 Big West, while the Gauchos fell to 26-18, 9-8 Big West.
In game one of the doubleheader, the Gauchos took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, center fielder Jessica Hejna doubled. Hejna went to third on a wild pitch, and scored when second baseman Kendra Singley was safe on an error by the LBSU shortstop. The lead, however was short-lived as the 49ers quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning when senior Lauren Johnson hit a solo home run over the center field wall. It was her 12th home run of the season.
Long Beach State added another run in the third inning, courtesy of an Oli Keohohou solo home run over left center field to give the 49ers a 2-1 lead.
A Tiffanie Wedell RBI single in the fourth plated Brooke LeSage for the 3-1 LBSU lead. The Gauchos scored their second run in the top of the sixth when third baseman Karyna Wilkerson walked and came home on a double by catcher Brenda Lira. Wilkerson's run cut the Long Beach lead to 3-2, but 49er senior Marcel Torres belted a three-run home run in the bottome half of the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Senior pitcher Meredith Cervenka secured her 21st victory in the circle after going seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with six strikeouts. The loss went to UCSB's Carly Harmon.
Game two saw UCSB jump on the board first in the second inning. Wilkerson drove home Jennifer Davis with the Gauchos only run of the game. Long Beach State scored the equalizer in the bottom of the inning when a Lauren Johnson RBI single scored freshman Jessica Beaver, who doubled, to tie the score at 1-1.
|
|
 |
Long Beach State broke the game open in the fourth inning with five runs. In fact LBSU scored all five of its runs with two outs in the inning. Melanie McCauley connected for a double to plate both Keohohou and Jonae Perez. A Kourtnee Gervasi single followed to plate McCauley and Lacy Tyler. A Beaver double eventually scored Gervasi to complete the five-run fourth.
Torres picked up the victory in the circle to improve to 14-6. She allowed one run on six hits and four strikeouts. Beaver finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
The Gauchos and 49ers wrap-up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. single game.
