CHICO, Calif. – The Sonoma State softball team overcame a five-run deficit in the second game of Friday's doubleheader to earn a 9-8 extra-inning victory over Chico State.
Jordyn Martinez hit the go-ahead homerun in the eighth inning to give the Seawolves a split after a 2-0 defeat in the series opener.
The Wildcats and Seawolves came into the contests in second and third place in the CCAA respectively and both games lived up to their billing. The opening game featured two of the best pitchers in the conference, both of which were coming off of two complete game shutouts the week before. Jesse Dupuis took her 29 scoreless inning streak into the game for SSU while Brooke Larsen toed the rubber for Chico State.
Dupuis and Larsen were up for the challenge, both turning in excellent performances. The Wildcats were able to capitalize on two Sonoma State fielding errors in the first inning to score two unearned runs and take a 2-0 lead. Those would be the only runs of the contest as Dupuis shutout Chico State for the final five innings of work and allowed just six hits.
Offensively, the Seawolves were able to put some runners on base but could not get any across the plate. Sonoma State loaded the bases in the third inning after consecutive hits from
Anna Zoia-Buescher and
Rylee Nishimoto but Larsen worked her way out of the jam. Zoia-Buescher finished with three of the five SSU hits in the game and reached base all four times she appeared at the plate.
The second game was a wild one from the start with the Seawolves taking an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Zoia-Buescher opened with a walk and quickly stole second. She would then score on a triple off the right field wall by
Giana Hays for the game's first run. Hays would later score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Chico State answered back and more in the bottom of the frame, putting up seven runs on four hits and five walks.
Camille Rodriguez started the game for SSU but was replaced by
Nichole Sarra with just one out in the inning.
Trailing by five runs the Seawolves began chipping away at the deficit. In the fourth inning they used a defensive mis queue by the Wildcats to make it 7-3 before adding two more in the fifth. Zoia-Buescher started the rally in the fifth with single and moved up on a single by Martinez. Hays then came up big again, ripping a double to score both runs and pull the Seawolves within two.
Sonoma State would manufacture another run in the sixth, using two walks and a wild pitch to score
Skylar Linnane and make it a 7-6 game heading into the final inning. In the seventh the Seawolves wasted no time with Martinez opening with a single and Hays following with another double to put the go-ahead run on second base. Next batter
Courtney Jack sent a line drive into the gap to score both runs and put SSU back on top at 8-7.
The Wildcats would not go away however, using a couple of singles and a walk to load the bases with two outs. A wild pitch would allow the tying run to score but Sarra got the final out on a ground ball and the game was sent to extra innings.
Martinez took care of the rest from there, belting a two-out homerun to dead center field to put Sonoma State back on top for good. Sarra retired the Wildcats in order in the eighth, getting the final
