SAN BERNARDINO, Calif-
Julianne Martinez was one out away from pitching her first no-hitter and
Ashley Britton smashed two home runs to help 12th-ranked Sonoma State snap a season-long three game losing streak in the 11-0 victory over Cal State San Bernardino in the series finale at the Coyote Softball Park. Sonoma State dropped the first game on Saturday, 8-3. Despite losing three out of four to the Coyotes, the Seawolves (33-12, 19-9 CCAA) still hold a one game lead over Cal State Monterey Bay atop the CCAA standings.
Cal State San Bernardino 8, #12 Sonoma State 3
Riding momentum from a day earlier, in which the Coyotes defeated the Seawolves in both games on Friday, Cal State San Bernardino didn't waste much time on offense. After a RBI single by Ashley Collinwood in the first, the Coyotes' Alex Mitchell and Jacquelyn Holtzclaw also brought home runs to take a 3-0 lead after two innings of play.
Sonoma State got two runs back in the fourth on a two run home run by
Rochelle Vanyi, clipping the Coyote lead to just one at 3-2.
It would be shortlived, however, as Cal State San Bernardino exploded for five runs over the next two innings while Cassidy Lee worked four innings in relief to stymie the Seawolves powerful offense the rest of the way, en route to a 8-3 victory. Danielle D'Eccliss brought home SSU's third run of the game on a suicide squeeze in the seventh that scored
Danielle Lowe.
Samantha Lipperd (17-5) got the loss, giving up six runs on six hits in three and one-thirds innings of work.
Simone Brandalise made her fifth appearance in the pitching circle this season to finish out the game, scattering two hits, giving up two runs and striking out one in two and two-thirds innings.
Skylynn Myers went 3-for-3 at the plate and Brandalise added two hits.
#12 Sonoma State 11, Cal State San Bernardino 0 (5 innings)
As J. Martinez did work from the pitching circle, the Sonoma State bats finally came alive, exploding for 11 runs in the victory.
Britton, who had two home runs in the game and five RBI as a result, went 3-for-3 in the game.
Ali Palermo, who hit her sixth home run in her last eight games in the first inning of the nightcap, complemented Britton with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with three RBI.
J. Martinez (15-6) allowed just one hit in five innings of work, walking two and striking out two. The only hit came on a double by Mitchell with two outs in the fifth, in what would have been the final out before the eight-run mercy rule would have taken effect.
Vanyi and Myers had two hits apiece for Sonoma State.
Sonoma State will travel to San Francisco State on Friday and Saturday for a four-game series with the Gators before returning home to face rival Humboldt State in two weekends.