Gators outfielder Phoebe Schultz (1) looks on before flying out to left to end the game at a softball game between the SF State Gators and the Sonoma State Seawolves at the SF State on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The Gators lost 9-0 during game one of a doubleheader against the Seawolves (Aaron Levy-Wolins / Golden Gate Xpress). (Aaron Levy-Wollins)
Gators outfielder Phoebe Schultz (1) looks on before flying out to left to end the game at a softball game between the SF State Gators and the Sonoma State Seawolves at the SF State on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The Gators lost 9-0 during game one of a doubleheader against the Seawolves (Aaron Levy-Wolins / Golden Gate Xpress).
SF State softball lost the first two home games of the season during Friday’s doubleheader action against the Sonoma State Seawolves.
After the Gators’ strong pitching to start both games, a few big innings opened things up for Sonoma State en route to a combined 20-0 shutout between the two games, with final scores of 9-0 and 11-0. The Gators managed just one hit in the first game for five total hits on the day.
Seawolves second baseman Cassidy Romano (5) steps on second base and throws to first to complete a double play to end the game at a softball game between the SF State Gators and the Sonoma State Seawolves at the SF State softball field on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The Gators lost 11-0 during Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Seawolves (Aaron Levy-Wolins / Golden Gate Xpress). (Aaron Levy-Wolins)
The Gators played a tight first game, trailing 2-0 going into the fifth inning, but conceded seven runs in the last inning.
The second game was 1-0 after three innings, but the Seawolves scored five runs in the fourth inning to open up a lead the Gators couldn’t overcome.
“The last two weeks we’ve played some really tough teams and our schedule was set up that way on purpose,” said Head Softball Coach Alicia Reid. “We have a young team overall, so you have to put them in that playoff-type atmosphere, test them early to see how they respond.”
Doubleheader games are typically seven innings instead of nine, but due to NCAA’s eight-run rule, the game can end after five innings if one team takes a lead of eight or more runs. The policy was in play, prompting both games to end early.
After starting off the season with a 5-1 record, the Gators have now lost five consecutive games with just one run scored in each.
Pitcher Lexi Holihan said the team will use Friday to learn from going forward.
“Even though it’s hard, sometimes you have to have that bad day and be like this is what I need to fix,” Holihan said. “I need to push myself harder to work on that and do better.”
Second baseman Kai DeLeon leads the team in batting average to start the season, hitting .333, while outfielder and catcher Marley Gonzalez is second with a .280 average. Kaitlyn Maddux leads the pitchers with a 2.26 earned run average, followed by Brooklyn Heffernan at 3.65.
The Gators were happy to be on their home field for the first time this season despite the tough outcome.
“All of us were very excited,” DeLeon said. “We wanted to start off strong and obviously it wasn’t what we wanted. Tomorrow is the next day and we’re gonna attack it.”
Last year, the Gators finished the season with a 23-30 record. SF State is now 5-6 this season while Sonoma State improves to 8-1.
The Gators will wrap up the four game home series with the Seawolves on Saturday in another doubleheader before traveling to Cal State Dominguez Hills for another four-game series.
“Sonoma’s a very good team and they showed that with a ton of hits,” Reid said. “We’ve got to do a better job of responding and not compounding those hits with errors and mistakes ourselves. Every day in our conference is a tough game, and we’re looking to come back tomorrow and be better.”
Gators relief pitcher Madeline Eshbach (25) reacts after hitting Seawolves designated player Sierra Moffett (9) to walk in a run at a softball game between the SF State Gators and the Sonoma State Seawolves at the SF State softball field on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The Gators lost 11-0 during Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Seawolves (Aaron Levy-Wolins / Golden Gate Xpress).
Jack Davies (he/him) is a journalism major in his final year of school. He is minoring in international business. He loves to watch sports and write about them, but also has an interest in potentially traveling the world as a salesman. He grew up in Napa Valley, California, and moved to the East Coast when he was 11 years old. He started his college career at Santa Barbara City College, where he wrote for The Channels publication as a sports writer. In his free time, he likes to play sports, explore the Bay Area, hang out with friends, listen to music, play video games and watch TV. After graduating, he wants to write for a sports publication and travel the world.
Aaron Levy-Wolins is a senior photojournalism student who specializes in portraiture. He has spent multiple semesters with the Golden Gate Xpress newspaper, working as a photographer. San Francisco Bay Area born and bred, his work has been published in SFBay, El Tecolote, and Broke-Ass Stuart. While his passion is photography, he loves watching movies and cooking. He plans to freelance and travel after graduation.
