San Francisco State University women’s softball went 3-1 in their weekend series against the Sonoma State University Seawolves and finished strong by sweeping their doubleheader on Saturday in two shutout games.
Head coach Alicia Reid said the Gators felt good after a successful weekend against the Seawolves.
“That’s a great team over there,” Reid said. “And for us to take three out of four on a weekend, that’s great for us.”
After a 2-1 win and a 10-6 loss on Friday, both games on Saturday were close with 1-0 and 2-0 shutout victories at home. The 3-1 success puts the no. 24 ranked Gators at 18-6 overall this season and 7-3 against conference opponents.
Sophomore pitcher Elise Roy threw a shutout in the third game of the series on Saturday, only allowing five hits through seven full innings. Roy said being a ranked team puts the spotlight on the Gators, a challenge they are ready to counter.
“I feel like because we are ranked, people want to come after us,” Roy said. “People want to beat us, and we also got to know that we are the team to beat. But I think that we’ll overcome it and we’ll be a better team because of it.”
Whether they are shrugging the pressure off or it’s sharpening their play, the Gators have not allowed it to bog them down. Senior pitcher Mari Bajan had a shutout like Roy’s, allowing five hits in the final game of the series. This was alongside a razor-sharp defense from SFSU, which refused to give the Seawolves an edge of any kind.
Even when the visitors had runners at first and second at the top of the sixth inning, a pickoff from Bajan and a few defensive plays ensured that the Seawolves would not see a single run that game.
“Yesterday, they were hitting pretty hard, so I just knew that I needed to find certain spots in the zone that I needed to pound and really just focus on,” Bajan said. “Then that would be able to help my defense and help them to make better plays.”
Reid also said the Gators’ defense was phenomenal on Saturday, and many of those watching the game in the stands agreed. After the second game, a number of attendants said that it was one of the fastest games they had ever seen SFSU play.
“No runs, that’s the goal,” Bajan said. “Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the strikeouts and whatever else there is, but just the defense having my back, I’m having their back, zero runs is a goal just for the team.”
However, the moment that clinched the win for SFSU was an outstanding home run from junior utility Marissa Jordan, who was the designated hitter in the fourth game. This was Jordan’s second homer of the season. The hit came right as the bottom of the fourth inning began, clearing the field easily and bringing up morale along with it. The home run gave the Gators a 2-0 lead, relaxing some of the pressure the team had been feeling while the score was still close.
“I think Marissa adding some extra insurance runs there with the home run is huge,” Reid said. “Pitchers can breathe a little bit easier when it’s a two-run game versus a one-run game.”
The relationship goes both ways. After flying out in her first at bat, Jordan said her teammates’ support and encouragement got her to bring out her best for the rest of the game.
“It’s good to know that all of my teammates trust me and really support me,” Jordan said.
This series was also a farewell for the Gators to their conference opponent. As part of recent budget cuts at SSU, the university will be discontinuing all athletic programs, making this year the last season for the Seawolves.
The Gators soldier on and are set to go against the Cal State Monterey Bay Sea Otters at Otter Sports Complex in Seaside on March 14 and 15. The Gators were excited and confident after their four games this weekend, but they were aware they should not allow themselves to get cocky.
“I feel like we just need to keep it rolling,” Roy said. “We’ve gone 3-1 for the past two seasons. We’re looking for a sweep, but if it doesn’t happen and we lose a game and we played our best ball, it is what it is. We just got to roll in with confidence, not arrogance.”
Reid spoke about how important it was to remember that the team is now in a highly competitive conference, and so the team needs to remain sharp and focused no matter who they are playing.
“We got to come in each weekend as though we’re playing the top team in the conference and look to get a job done,” Reid said.
Gregory McCulloh is a contributor to Golden Gate Xpress. He studies English at San Francisco State University, where he is currently in his fourth year.
