By Long Beach State softball (14-10) welcomed the University of Northern Colorado Bears (7-19) to the LBSU Softball Complex on Tuesday night where The Beach were lifted to a 2-0 win by senior pitcher Shannon Haddad.
Haddad opened the game by retiring the side in order, sending Northern Colorado’s first three batters, who are all hitting above .300, back to the dugout.
“I think my low-rise ball was working pretty well,” Haddad said. “I was mixing in and out a little change up, drop ball, everything. I think everything was working and it takes that type of different style of pitching.”
Patience at the plate for The Beach led to the bases loaded with no outs after two walks and an infield by senior third baseman Carly Robbins.
What seemed like an easy scoring opportunity for LBSU turned into a defensive showcase by junior shortstop Krista Francia.
She caught a lineout off the bat of junior centerfielder Makayla Medellin for the first out and in the next at-bat fielded a ground ball, stepped on second base and threw it over to first base in time for a double play to escape the jam in the third inning. This kept the first run of the game from scoring.
Haddad followed with another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, keeping her no-hitter alive and giving her offense a chance for run support.
As the sun set across the diamond, The Beach bats awoke.
Sophomore outfielder Malayna Terrones walked, leading to senior outfielder Corissa Sweet‘s RBI double into the left-center field gap, putting The Beach up 1-0.
Haddad completed her 5th no-hit inning allowing LBSU to extend its one-run lead.
Back singles from Medellin and senior pinch-hitting catcher Savannah Magadan set up sophomore catcher Brooklyn Lee who lined a ball off Northern Colorado’s senior pitcher Isabelle DiNapoli’s body and allowed Medellin to score and put LBSU up 2-0.
LBSU senior center Savannah Magadan celebrates a base hit. She went 1-2 at the plate versus Northern Colorado on Tuesday night at the LBSU Softball Complex. Photo credit: Mark Siquig.
Four outs away from Haddad completing her first career no-hitter, a grounder to junior shortstop Selena Perez took a bad hop off her glove and caromed into the outfield, giving the Bears their second baserunner of the game.
LBSU fans nervously waited for the scorekeeper’s ruling of either an error on Perez to keep Haddad’s no-hitter alive, or a hit to end the no-hitter as Northern Colorado fans in the crowd claimed that the call should be a base hit.
Those in support of Haddad released their held breath as it was ruled an error on Perez, keeping the no-hitter alive.
Haddad finished the sixth untouched and was just three outs away from history in the seventh before a shot down the third base line off the glove of Robbins gave the Bears their first base hit of the game.
The Bears’ bats stayed asleep after their lone hit as Haddad finished with a complete game shutout allowing just one hit, giving Haddad her fifth win on the season as The Beach won 2-0.
“We’ll watch some film and get out here and have a couple good practices, and get ready to get after it on Friday,” LBSU head coach Kim Sowder said.
LBSU travels to California State University Northridge for a three-game series against the No.2 team in the Big West on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22.
