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Box Scores: SSU 5, NDNU 1 (8)  |  SSU 5, HPU 2 (11)

TURLOCK, Calif. -- Samantha Lipperd set a school record with 17 strikeouts in an eight-inning, 5-1 win over Notre Dame de Namur to open up play at the Tournament of Champions, presented by Mizuno, on Friday evening.  But she was just heating up.  She then shattered the NCAA Division II record with 26 strikeouts to help the Sonoma State softball team to a 5-2 victory over Hawaii Pacific in 11 innings, propelling the Seawolves to a 2-0 start at Pedretti Park on Friday night.  SSU improves to 22-13 this season.

Lipperd recorded 43 strikeouts in 19 innings on Friday, undoubtedly one of the best one-day performances in the history of collegiate softball.

Sonoma State 5, Notre Dame de Namur 1 (8 innings) -- Box Score  |  Archived Blogcast

Just as it has been all season, Lipperd found herself in a pitcher's duel right from first pitch.  But, the Sonoma State offense drew first blood in the top of the third inning when Shannon Kehr laced a double to center field, easily scoring Danielle D'Eccliss to put the Seawolves up 1-0.

It would be the only offense by either team until Notre Dame de Namur's Kayla Anderson blasted the first pitch she saw from Lipperd over the center field fence, tying the game at 1-1 and eventually sending it to extra innings.

The first seven innings saw just four hits combined between the two teams (two by each team), but that all changed in the top of the eighth.  With the international tiebreaker in effect, Megan Konieczka would start the inning on second base.  Hayley Condon smacked a single up the middle that would score Konieczka and give the Seawolves the 2-1 lead.  It wouldn't stop there as Kehr and Skylynn Myers hit RBI singles and then Kehr would later score on an error by the Argonauts to put Sonoma State up 5-1.

The four-run cushion was more than enough as Lipperd went on the strike out the side on 12 pitches to end the game.  15 of her 17 strikeouts came in her final six innings of work; she struckout the side in four different innings.

Despite her efforts in the circle, Notre Dame de Namur's Sammy McConvey (7-7) was tagged with the loss.  Outside of giving up the four runs and five hits in the top of the eighth inning, she allowed just one run and two hits prior to the game-changing frame.  The Argonauts fell to 14-15 on the year.

Offensively for Sonoma State, Kehr went 2 for 4 with two RBI's and a run scored to lead the way.  Myers and Condon each had a hit paired with an RBI.  Lipperd allowed just two hits, en route to winning her 16th game of the season.

Sonoma State 5, Hawai'i Pacific 2 (11 innings) -- Box Score  |  Archived Blogcast

Apparently, throwing 118 pitches in the first game didn't faze Lipperd one bit.  She did, however, give up a run to Hawai'i Pacific in the bottom of the first inning, an RBI single to Melisa Kim.  From then on, Lipperd was in control.

Sonoma State would punch right back in its next at bat.  Konieczka brought home Myers on an RBI single to center field, plating Myers to knot the game at 1-1.

As Lipperd continued her dominance in the circle, so did her counterpart, HPU's Breanne Patton.  Both pitchers would keep their opponents scoreless until the deciding 11th inning.  It was Lipperd, though, that would steal the show.  She recorded 15 strikeouts in the first seven innings, allowing just two hits.

In the extra frames is when Lipperd came up big.  Again, with the international tiebreaking rule in effect, Hawai'i Pacific would start with a runner on second.  A bunt single would move the lead runner to third base; the game-winning run just 60 feet away and no outs.  After a stolen base by Acierto put two runners in scoring position, Lipperd overpowered the next three batters, fanning all three to strand the game-winning run on third.

Again, in the ninth inning, Lipperd ran into trouble.  The bases would become loaded with one out, but again, she struckout the next two HPU batters, leaving the bases loaded.  In the bottom of the 10th, Hawai'i Pacific bunted the lead runner over to third base and, with just one out, Lipperd delivered another pair of strikeouts to end the threat, sending the game to the 11th inning.

It was in the 11th that the Seawolf offense came alive, thanks to a go-ahead RBI single by Kehr to score D'Eccliss.  Ancia Purdy brought Kehr home with an RBI single, Ali Palermo brought home a run on a 4-3 groundout, then Konieczka added a run with another RBI single, giving Sonoma State the 5-1 lead.

Lipperd went back out for the bottom of the 11th inning and struckout the first two batters she saw.  She would give up an RBI double, but, throwing as hard as she was in the first inning of Friday's first game, she struck out the 26th Sea Warrior batter to end the game and give the Seawolves another thrilling victory, 5-2, in extra innings.  She threw 180 total pitches against HPU, adding to her pitch total of 298 for the day.  She shattered the NCAA Division II record for most strikeouts in one game, including her own school record...a mark in which she set against Notre Dame de Namur just hours earlier with 17.  She fanned 26 of the 41 batters she faced, while allowing just four total hits in the contest.

Patton, meanwhile, tossed 174 pitches, but allowed 11 SSU hits while striking out nine.

SSU's Condon went 3 for 5, Konieczka had two hits and two RBI's and Purdy also had two hits with an RBI.

Sonoma State will play three games on Saturday, starting with a 10:00 a.m. contest against Northwest Nazarene at Pitman High School (Field #2).  After a short break, the Seawolves will return to Pedretti Park to face Hawai'i-Hilo (3:45 p.m.) and Grand Canyon (6:00 p.m.) on Field #3.