By snoadmin
In the three-game series with UC Davis, Long Beach State’s softball team lost two out of three games at the Softball Complex this weekend.
LBSU took the first game of the double header on Saturday, 2-0, while UC Davis took the second game, 6-0, and the Aggies were victorious again Sunday, winning 2-1.
The first game on Saturday was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning. Bridgette Pagano led off with a double and Brianna Goad then reached base on a walk. Franciska Morlet laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third.
After Stefanie Trutanic walked, Whitney Radcliff drove in the only run LBSU needed, hitting a single to right field that brought in Pagano.
In the circle, Pagano finished off the game without giving up a run – her third consecutive shutout victory.
“The team has been playing really well behind Bridgette right now,” said LBSU head coach Kim Sowder.
In the second game Saturday, UC Davis returned the favor, shutting out LBSU with Jessica Hancock and Lauren Pieretti combining for a one hitter. Radcliff had the only LBSU hit in the game.
Pitcher Melissa DeMarco received the loss of LBSU, giving up three runs in the first three innings.
“We got off and gave them a lot of momentum and we just never recovered,” Sowder said. “The game got away from us.”
On Sunday, UC Davis broke Pagano’s streak of 29 consecutive innings without giving up a run, scoring in the third inning.
In the top of the third, the Aggies’ Trish Paine bunted the ball and due to a 49er error, Paine hustled her way to third base. Julie Stauder then hit a double, which brought Paine to put UC Davis on the scoreboard.
LBSU quickly tied the game in the bottom of the third.
Panita Thanatharn got the inning started with a single. Then Brooke LeSage put down a sacrificed bunt, which advanced Thanatharn to second. Two batters later, Goad hit a double to left, scoring Thanatharn and tying the game.
The game stayed tied until the top of the seventh. With one out, Paine hit a single to center field that scored Mandi Salcido from third base, giving the Aggies a 2-1 lead.
LBSU got a hit in the bottom half of the inning, but could not score the tying run.
“We had a lot of opportunities and just didn’t get it done,” Sowder said, “We just didn’t come through with the key hits today.”
With the loss, Pagano dropped to 18-10 on the season, but is still featuring a microscopic 1.80 ERA. For UC Davis, Hancock picked up her 15th win of the season and her second of the weekend.
The LBSU softball team next plays on Friday at 1 p.m. for double header against UC Santa Barbara.
