ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – After a pitchers' duel in a tough first game the Sonoma State offense got going in the nightcap to lift the Seawolves to a 9-1 victory and earn a split with Cal State Dominguez Hills. SSU fell 4-1 in the opener but a combination of hitting and
Camille Rodriguez's pitching in the second game pushed the Seawolves record on the season to 11-10.
Jesse Dupuis looked locked-in on the rubber for Sonoma State to start, cruising through five scoreless innings and allowing just four hits.
Jordyn Martinez helped out defensively, gunning down a steal attempt in the third and then picking off another at second base in the fourth.
Offensively the Seawolves got on the board in the fifth inning, breaking the scoreless tie with the game's first run. Ashley Wies matched Dupuis through four innings for the Toros, allowing just one hit and striking out seven. In the fifth however,
Skylar Linnane got things started with a single through the left side.
Courtney Jack followed with a sacrifice bunt that she reached on an error and
Reagan Hunt was walked to load the bases. After an out,
Anna Zoia-Buescher came up with a big hit, slapping it through the middle for an RBI.
The Toros evened the score in the top of the sixth with an unearned run coming in on a squeeze bunt. After a scoreless bottom half of the frame by SSU the visitors put up a three spot in the seventh to put the game away. Dafne Bravo delivered the first blow with a pinch-hit homerun to make it 2-1 with only one down. CSUDH would go on to load the bases and then plate two more on a single by Raquel Jaime off reliever
Bailee Reed. Wies retired the Seawolves in order in the seventh to seal the win for the Toros.
Sonoma State wasted little time in the second game to take control. Rodriguez pitched her way out of a jam in the first inning, finishing with a bases loaded strikeout. In the bottom of the inning it took just two batters to score the first run. Zoia-Buescher led off with a bunt single and
Cassidy Romano drove her in with a deep triple off the right field wall. Martinez followed with a walk and then forced a rundown to score Romano to make it 2-0.
Rodriguez settled in and allowed just one hit over the next three innings before the Seawolves offense got going again in the fourth. Jack walked and was replaced by pinch runner
Amari Houston who promptly stole second. She moved to third on a double by
Briana Avalos and came in to score on a groundout by Hunt.
Rylee Nishimoto followed with a single through the right side to score Avalos and extend the margin to four.
The Toros got one back in the top of the fifth but that would be as close as they would get with SSU scoring five in the bottom of the fifth to put the game away.
Giana Hays doubled to leadoff the inning and scored on a squeeze bunt by Jack. Jack would later score on a single by Hunt and the Seawolves would eventually load the bases on a single by Nishimoto and a walk by Zoia-Buescher. Romano picked up an RBI on a bases loaded walk and Martinez then ended the game with a two-run single.
Rodriguez improved to 5-3 on the season with the win, hurling a complete game and allowing just one run and striking out four. Sonoma State finished with 11 hits in total and had four players turn in multi-hit performances. Romano recorded two extra base hits with a double and a triple while driving in two. Hays also delivered two extra base hits with a pair of doubles. Nishimoto and Zoia-Buescher also added two hits apiece while Martinez and Hunt each drove in two.
The two teams will square off again tomorrow for another doubleheader starting with the first game at 11:00 am.
