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Box Score 2 HAYWARD, Calif. – Last week at the Cal State Stanislaus Tournament of Champions, the Pioneer women's softball team posted a 1-5 record, while Cal State Dominguez Hills won the tournament championship. The teams met Friday for the first two of a four-game series, and the Pioneers gave the Toros all they could handle before losing both ends of the doubleheader, 1-0 and 5-3.
With the doubleheader defeat, the Pioneers stand at 7-19 in CCAA play and 12-28 for the season. Cal State Dominguez Hills is 12-14 in the CCAA and 25-18 overall.
The first game featured a classic pitchers' duel between the Toro's Stephani Jimenez and the Pioneers'
Lauren Zweigle. Jimenez (15-7) blanked the Pioneers on three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in a complete game. Zweigle (8-14) hurled her 14th complete game of the season, allowing one run on five hits, three walks, and one strikeout.
“We got a great outing from Lauren,” Pioneer Head Coach
Barbara Pierce said. “Our bats couldn't support her outstanding performance.”
In the bottom of the second,
Chelsie Kakela belted a double, but was stranded at second as Jimenez retired the next three Pioneer hitters.
Adrianna Sanchez accounted for the only run of the game with her team-leading 14th home run of the season in the top of the fourth inning. Pioneer shortstop
Shaunna Purkey made two diving catches to prevent the Toros from extending their lead.
The Pioneers had the tying run at first in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the game ended when
Lauren Vestal lined out to left field to end the game.
In the second game, the Pioneers pounded out nine hits.
Taryn Thomas, the team's leading hitter this season, went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Nicole Adair and
Meli Sanchez each drove in a run. Pioneer freshman hurler
Kelsey Cairns made her home debut allowing three earned runs, seven hits, five walks, and three strikeouts in her fifth complete game of the season.
Cal State Dominguez Hills got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the second. With two outs, Veronica Vasquez reached base on a Pioneer error and later scored on a Sanchez double. The Toros loaded the bases with two outs, but Adair made a spectacular catch in left field to end the inning.
After the Toros increased their lead to 2-0, the Pioneers tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, Purkey, a .500 hitter at the Tournament of Champions, cracked a double. After Thomas lined out, Adair singled to score Purkey. Adair advanced to third on a Toro throwing error, and then scored on a single by Sanchez.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Pioneers took a 3-2 lead. Kakela led off the inning with a base hit and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt.
Vika Kafoa followed with a base hit that advanced Kakela to third, and she scored when the throw got away.
The Toros answered back with a run in the top of the sixth to tie the game. They completed the doubleheader sweep with two runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Brittany Brenner.
“Our bats woke up and we made some great defensive plays in the second game,” Pierce said. “We just came up short.” Hopefully, we'll continue to pitch well and play good defense on Saturday. It would be nice to come away with a pair of victories on Senior Day.”
The four-game series will conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader at Pioneer Field. There will be a brief ceremony honoring this year's seniors prior to the 11 a.m. first pitch.
