May 21, 2004
Sometimes it is just not your day, so it goes for the record-breaking UC Santa Barbara softball team that was eliminated from the the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Championship with a 3-0 loss to No. 7 seed Temple University in the double-elimination regional hosted by the University of Arizona. The sixth-seeded Gauchos season comes to an end at 32-31.
Freshman Lindsey Sommer got the nod for the Gauchos after throwing a scoreless seventh inning in Santa Barbara's regional opener against Northwestern. Sommer continued where she left off against the Wildcats, downing the first three Owls in order to start the game.
It looked as if UCSB was going to plate the first run of the game when Leslie Simien reached third base on a Shelby Hensler sacrifice after she led of the game by getting hit in the thigh by a Richille Vegas pitch and the typical ensuing stolen base. But Simien was caught off the base on Kendra Singley's hard hit ground ball to Temple shortstop Aida Esquer for the second out of the inning. The Gaucho first ended after Heather Nobbe grounded out to Esquer, but not after Singley stole her tenth base of the season.
Sommer continued to silence the Owl bats in the second with the only two runners reaching base on a catcher's interference by Hensler, her first of the season, and a walk.
UCSB went down in order in the bottom of the second thanks to a diving catch made by Temple centerfielder Katie Weigle in the gap in leftcenter off of the bat of freshman Jessica Hejna.
Temple notched the first hit of the game in the top of the third when the number nine hitter Melissa McCartney blooped a single over the head of second baseman Brittany Putich. Weigle then hit a chopper that third baseman Karyna Wilkerson climbed the wall to snag but the Gauchos had no one covering first after due to a faked bunt attempt by Weilge and the runner on first. Hensler recorded the first out of the inning with a stellar defensive play getting under a pop up on Jessica Rohn's bunt attempt. But UCSB didn't get the last two outs until after Temple plated three runs, two earned, be stringing together two hits, a fielder's choice that was late at the plate, and a Singley error at short where it appeared she had been hit by the base runner. Wilkerson, Hensler and Nobbe combined on an inning-ending doubleplay.
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The Gauchos threatened again in the bottom of the third with runners on first and second and one out after Simien beat out the throw to first on a chopper to third base, advancing Davis Beck to second. The play was ruled a fielder's choice beacause of the third baseman's hesitation after checking on Beck. Hensler then looped a shot to shallow centerfield forcing Beck to hold and leaving her with a long run to third when the ball dropped. Singley nearly broke through for UCSB lacing a low liner down the first base line that would have undoubtedly cleared the bases, but the Owl's Lynsey Grace made a diving stop landing on the base for the final out of the third.
Sommer regained her composure in the fourth retiring Temple in order and fanning her third batter of the game to keep the scored locked at 3-0 Owls.
Villescas returned the favor to the Gauchos in the bottom of the fourth by doing the same, keeping her no hitter in tact.
With the exception of hitting a batter, Sommer blanked Temple in the top of the fifth, doing her part the keep Santa Barbara into the game.
The Gauchos broke up the no hitter in the bottom of the fifth, but it was one batter later than it appeared it would be. Hejna leaded off the inning by driving a ground ball through the right side into leftfield and it looked as if the goose egg would be cracked but rightfielder Laura Gutscher came up firing and the throw beat Hejna to the bag. But the the on the very next pitch Villescas threw Wilkerson hit a high fly ball over the head of Villescas for a stand up double. It was all UCSB would get as Villescas retired the next two batters.
Sommer continued to silence the Owls, once again setting Temple down in order and retiring her tenth batter out of the last eleven she faced.
Not to be outdone, Villescas also once again blanked Santa Barbara in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the Gauchos with just one more opportunity to extend its record-breaking season.
Another batter faced and another batter down for Sommer to start the top of the seventh, but her streak of twelve batters faced without allowing a hit ended when Rohn dribbled an infield single that spun away from a hard charging Putich. The Owls mustered one more hit off of Sommer but Wilkerson ended the inning with no damage done by snagging a low line drive to keep the Gauchos deficit at three entering the bottom of the seventh.
Down to its final three outs of the season Lindsey Herrin opened the inning with a leadoff walk and gave way to Blair Robbins to pinch run. Putich came to bat next and battled to a 2-2 count, having one of her hits going just foul after it appeared to cross just over third base. Putich then looped a shot to shallow leftfield that appeared as if it would drop, but the leftfielder Grace made a shoe string catch on the run, doubling up Robbins was diving back into first. Down to their last out, Hejna hit a ground ball to the right side that was fielded by Rohn at second base to end the game, eliminating the Gauchos from their first ever NCAA Regional appearence.
Both pitchers went the distance with Villescas picking up the win for Temple to improve to 18-13 and advance to tomorrow's day two action. The loss gives Sommer a 6-10 overall record for the freshman campaign. She ended the game with five strikeouts and six hits allowed. Wilkerson was the UCSB player to be credited with a hit in the game.
UCSB season comes to an end with a 32-31 overall record, a NCAA Regional appearence, a second place finish in the Big West, one NFCA All-West Region Second Teamer (Simien), and seven All-Big West honorees.
