The first-ever on-campus softball tournament at Cal State San Marcos kicked off on Thursday, as the Cougar Clash got underway.  Though the host school will play its first games tomorrow, day one featured three tight finishes.

All box scores are available at the tournament webpage, www.csusmcougars.com/cougarclash

Game One
British Columbia - 3
Dickinson State - 11

Recap:  Far closer than the score indicates, as the game was locked 2-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.  British Columbia's defense betrayed them though, as they committed five errors that led to a whopping 11 unearned runs - including two backbreaking miscues in Dickinson State's 7-run sixth inning that ended the contest via the mercy rule.

For Dickinson's part, starting pitcher Sara Jane Webster was solid, allowing three runs and going the full six innings.  She struck out two and walked none.  Shortsthop Nicole Youngblood and catcher Ikea Mauldin drove in a pair of runs each.

Game Two
Dickinson State - 7
Biola - 6 (8 innings)

A wild back-and-forth contest that was decided in extras.  Dickinson State twice took 2-run leads, and both times Biola closed the gap within an inning.  The game's biggest hit came in the 8th inning, where with one out DSU's Brittney Rivas drilled a two-run triple to break the tie.  She would then score on what would turn out to be a crucial error, as Biola plated two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning but stranded the potential tying run on third.

Dickinson State's Chamel Zetsch pitched the full 8 innings to earn the win, allowing just two earned runs and striking out six.  

Game Three
Biola - 10
British Columbia - 8

Biola started this game as follows:  bunt single, bunt single, RBI double, three-run home run, single, single.  But what looked like a sure-thing blowout turned quickly into a competitive game, as British Columbia escaped the first with a key 5-2-3 double-play, then went to work on offense themselves.  On the strength of a 5-run third inning, UBC took a 6-4 lead - but it was short-lived, as Biola matched it with a 5-run inning of their own in the fifth.  British Columbia cut it to 10-8 with two in the sixth, and seriously threatened in the seventh - but when a runner trying to score was thrown out at the plate with one out, their rally was dampened and Biola held on.

Biola won despite committing five errors that resulted in 6 unearned runs.