ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The No. 13 Sonoma State softball team took two more from Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday to complete the series sweep with an eight inning 2-1 win and an 8-0 victory in the finale. The Seawolves improved to 22-4 on the season with their seventh straight win and are 16-3 in CCAA play to sit atop the standings.
The first game was a pitchers' duel from the start with
Bailee Reed and Gage Garcia in control on the rubber. Reed retired the first six batters she faced before the Lumberjacks got a run off of her in the third. Reed pitched out of a jam in the fourth to keep it a one run game and the Seawolves offense got going in the bottom of the frame. Nishimoto started things off with a single and was bunted over to second by
Jordyn Martinez.
Giana Hays followed with a double to right center to tie the game at 1-1.
Charlie Johnson came on in relief for Sonoma State in the fifth and kept the Lumberjacks off the board for the next four innings. After a perfect eighth inning by Johnson the Seawolves offense got going again.
Anna Zoia-Buescher led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Nishimoto then bunted her over to third and Martinez followed with a game-winning walk-off single.
Johnson picked up her fifth win of the season, all of which came in the last two weeks and extended her streak of innings without allowing an earned run to 32. Reed went 4.1 innings and allowed just the one run. Zoia-Buescher led all players with three hits while Martinez and Hays picked up RBIs.
The series finale was all Sonoma State as the offense came out swinging and starter
Nichole Sarra was in complete control. Zoia-Buescher and Nishimoto opened the first with back-to-back singles before both came in to score on a two-out single by
Skylar Linnane. Linnane delivered again in the third to score another run after singles by Martinez and Hays.
The Seawolves broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth, putting five runs on the board.
Sierra Moffett drew a walk and Zoia-Buescher followed with a single. Nishimoto then singled and an errant throw allowed a run to score. Zoia-Buescher scored on a wild pitch before Hays laid down a perfect squeeze to score the sixth run. The final two runs scored on a triple into the gap by
Cassidy Romano to make it 8-0.
Sarra was excellent in the circle, allowing just two hits in a five-inning shutout and improving to 7-2 on the season. Zoia-Buescher, Nishimoto, Linnane and Romano recorded two hits apiece to help the Seawolves to ten as team. Linnane also finished with three RBIs and Romano added two of her own.
Sonoma State heads to the Tournament of Champions in Turlock next week for five non-conference games starting on Friday.