CHICO, Calif. – The Sonoma State softball team closed out the regular season with a split of Chico State for the second straight day. The Seawolves dropped the first one 2-1 before evening the season series with the Wildcats with a 4-3 victory in the finale. SSU finishes the season with a 24-12 conference record, winning 21 of their last 24 CCAA contests.
The first game of the day once again featured Jesse Dupuis and Brooke Larsen squaring off in the circle for another pitchers' duel. Chico State got to Dupuis first, notching a run in bottom of the second with three straight hits before she got out of the inning without any further damage.
The Seawolves put two runners on base in both the third and fifth innings but could not get any runs across. The game moved to the seventh still at 1-0 and Larsen looking for another shutout. However,
Skylar Linnane stepped up for Sonoma State and delivered a big solo homerun to lead off the inning. With the score tied 1-1 the Wildcats ended the game in the bottom of the inning after a two-out single scored a runner from third base.
Dupuis was excellent on the mound again for the Seawolves, allowing just two runs in 6.2 innings. The earned run in the second was her first in 37.2 innings pitched. Linnane's homer was her sixth of the season while Zoia-Buescher picked up a pair of hits.
The series finale started as a pitchers' duel as well with
Bailee Reed getting the start for the Seawolves. She was dominant through the first four innings, retiring 12 of the 13 batters she faced. Offensively, Sonoma State got going in the fourth inning, putting up three runs.
Cassidy Romano started the scoring with a homerun to center field for the game's first run.
Briana Avalos followed with a single and scored on pinch hit triple by
Sierra Moffett. SSU added a third run on a double steal with
Reagan Hunt taking home.
Chico State got a run back in the bottom of the fifth but the Seawolves answered right back in the sixth with a very important insurance run. After Linnane walked, Avalos ripped a triple of her own into the right center field gap to make it 4-1. The Wildcats put a rally together in the final frame, loading the bases and pulling within one run after a two-run, two-out single. With the score 4-3, Reed closed it out with the tying run on third, inducing a game-ending fly out.
Reed improved to 5-3 on the season with the win, allowing three runs in seven innings of work and striking out five. Avalos finished with a pair of hits, including a triple and an RBI.
The Seawolves close the season with a 36-16 record and winners of 25 of their last 29. They will open the CCAA Tournament on Thursday with an 11:00 am contest against Cal State East Bay. The tournament will be played at Cal State Monterey Bay and all games will be streamed on the CCAA Network.
