SF State women’s softball walked away with two wins Saturday afternoon against California State University, East Bay 6-5 and 6-3.
Senior pitcher Megan Clark started the Gators off during the first game and both teams went scoreless through the first.
East Bay put themselves ahead on the board in the top of the second as two runners scored off of a passed ball with two outs. The Pioneers scored again in the same inning leading the Gators 0-3.
Third baseman Gabby Reta placed herself in scoring position in the bottom of the second with a lead-off double to the right center gap. She later scored thanks to catcher Angelica Terrel’s hit into left field, leaving the board tied at end of the second 3-3.
With one out, the Pioneers clinched the lead again with a two-run homer over the left field fence. Clark continued to strike out two batters, ending the top of the third 3-5.
Shortstop Kasie Trezona led off the bottom of the third with a double to right center field, and would score shortly due to designated hitter Sara Higa’s single to right field, 4-5.
Clark saw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth that amped up the Gators as they headed into the bottom of the inning. With Trezona and second baseman Madison Collins on base, Higa once again clutched with a hit to left field and SF State reclaimed the lead 6-5.
The first game saw no more runs as the Gators came out on top with the first win of the day. However, the momentum would carry into the second game as well.
Head coach Lisa McKinney said she was proud of how her team performed, and that they prepared the best they could for conference given the weather circumstances.
“They did a really great job,” McKinney said. “They had the jitters just because they are getting back on the field and it was the first conference game, but they really settled in towards the end of game one and it carried over into game two, so that was really nice to see.”
Starting pitcher for the second game was junior Lindsey Cassidy who silenced the Pioneers quickly in the top of the first. Gators took this as an opportunity to strike as Trezona had a deep left field RBI to take the lead early on, 1-0.
Cassidy continued to control CSU East Bay’s batters as they were shut down once again, and SF State headed into the bottom of the second with the lead. With bases loaded, outfielder Alexis Mattos slapped a ball through the 5-6 hole and another runner scores, 2-0.
Both teams left the scoreboard empty up until the bottom of the fifth as Higa drove in another run, 3-0.
After the Pioneers tied the game with a three-run homer at the top of the sixth, pinch hitter Celeste Adriano answered — backstepping up to the plate and sending one right back over the fence once again — giving the Gators the 6-3 win.
Clark said she felt good coming into the games today, excited and confident in her pitching.
“I felt like I got better the more innings I pitched. I had a little hiccup but after that, I shut them down,” Clark said. “I was getting stronger and I found the zone.”
Cassidy said she was proud of the team as well as her personal performance.
“I feel great going into tomorrow’s games,” said Cassidy. “I think we have a lot of energy from today’s games and we are ready to take that into the next game.”
