March 25, 2007

Box Score

Stockton, Calif. - The Pacific softball team finished a perfect 4-0 weekend at home with a 9-1, five inning, win over Sacramento State on Saturday, March 25. The win was the Tigers second of the tournament over the Hornets and moved Pacific to 21-11 on the year.

After needing just five innings to put away UNLV in the early game of the day the Tigers continued to push forward, this time blasting the Hornets in just five innings as well after needing nine innings the day before to get the job done.

Just as they had done in the first game of the day, the Tigers struck in the first inning for a single unearned run to take a 1-0 lead. Seniors Lizzie Hagen (Anaheim, Calif.) and Jennifer Curtier (Lancaster, Calif.) combined to notch the run for the Tigers. After reaching base due to an error and advancing to second on a passed ball, Hagen dented the plate for the first time in the game on a single up the middle by Curtier. The hit was the first of the day for Curtier while the RBI was her 154th career RBI, bringing her within nine of the Big West's all-time record of 163.

In the second inning the Tigers broke the game open with six runs on just three hits as Pacific sent 10 hitters to the plate in the inning. To start the inning the Tigers saw three of their first four batters walk while the fourth reached base safely due to a throwing error on an attempted sacrifice bunt.

With one run already walked in, senior Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Wash.) knocked in her fourth and fifth RBIs of the day with a single through the right side of the infield to plate both junior Mandy Hickman (Phoenix, Ariz.) and sophomore Casey Goldsand (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Carbonatto would steal second to create a second and third opportunity for Hagen. As she had done all weekend, Hagen came through for the Tigers with a single to center field that plated both Carbonatto and junior Vianney Campos (Guadalajara, Mexico) to push Pacific's lead to 6-0. The Tigers would tack on another run in the inning on an RBI single through the left side by sophomore Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.).

The Hornets would finally strike back at the Tigers in the top of the third inning as they were able to plate an unearned run in the inning to cut the Tigers lead to 7-1. Back-to-back singles and a walk to start the inning put Pacific in a bases loaded, no out, jam that sophomore Chelsea Engle (Folsom, Calif.) nearly pitched out of unscathed except for an errant throw home that allowed one run to score in the inning.

In bottom half of the inning, the Tigers would get back the run they gave away and add one more to take a 9-1 lead and secure their second five inning win of the day. A double by Hickman led the inning off for the Tigers followed by a single up the middle by Goldsand and an error by the Hornets in the field plated the Tigers' first run of the inning. A wild pitch would allow Goldsand to score the Tigers ninth and final run of the game.

In the circle, Engle threw all five innings for the Tigers giving up just four hits and one unearned run to pick up her 11th in of the season and fourth win of the week. In addition, Engle struck out three while walking three hitters.

At the plate, six different Tigers posted one hit in the game while Carbonatto and Hagen each had two RBI. Three different Tigers scored two runs in the game as Hagen, Hickman and Goldsand each crossed the plate twice. With her single run scored in the game, Carbonatto sits just one run shy of tying the Big West's all-time mark of 156 runs scored in a career set by Mandy Edwards of UC Santa Barbara in 2000.

The Tigers will next be in action on Wednesday, March 28 as they host No. 25 California at Bill Simoni Field. The game is scheduled for 2:00 pm.