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Box Score 2

 A two-out, two-strike, three-run single by Shanti Poston in the seventh inning propelled #4 ranked Cal State San Marcos softball to a shocking 4-3 game one win, but #12 Columbia College (MO) would take game two 3-1 in a double-header in San Marcos on Friday.

#4 CSU San Marcos is now 29-6 on the season.  #12 Columbia is 15-10.

Both games were tightly-contested, with the two highly-ranked teams battling as one would expect.  Having not played a game for two weeks, the home team struggled to shake off the rust, committing some uncharacteristic errors throughout the day.

Columbia would take advantage of that and some rare wildness from ace pitcher Brenna Sandberg, scoring three runs in the second inning despite just one hit.  Sandberg would settle in nicely though, allowing just one more hit in the game while striking out 9 batters.

Still, it looked like a loss for CSUSM the whole way, as Columbia pitcher Kacey Rehagen took a shutout into the seventh and final inning.  San Marcos had missed opportunities throughout the game, including leaving the bases loaded in the third and fifth innings.

But the home team's fortunes would change in the seventh.  Derrisha Lacey poked a one-out single that dropped in just over the third baseman's head, and Alicia Ingram legged out an infield single, with both runners advancing as Lacey aggressively took third.  After Alex Miller was hit by a pitch, Alyssa Dronenburg delivered a clean RBI single to center, cutting the lead to 3-1.  After a hard-hit line out on which Dronenburg was an inch away from being doubled off first, Poston stepped to the plate with the winning run on base, and on a two-strike count ripped a base hit to center.  The centerfielder misplayed the ball, and always-aggressive Head Coach Dave Williams waved pinch runner Brittney Guy home.  She beat the throw, giving CSUSM a thrilling 4-3 victory.

Game two was also tight, with both teams scoring a run in the first inning and neither scoring again until the very last.  CSUSM got its run on a Dronenburg single that plated Ingram.

The vast majority of the game starred pitchers Valerie Teter and Sandberg.  Teter allowed just 4 hits, escaping a couple innings early to sail relatively smoothly through the dangerous CSUSM lineup.  Sandberg, for her part, went the distance again, allowing just one earned run and striking out 6 to take the tough-luck loss.

Columbia finally broke the tie in the seventh, leading off with a single and taking advantage of back-to-back misplayed bunts to load the bases with no outs.  After Sandberg induced a pop out and a line out, it looked like CSUSM could escape, but a big single to left by Rehagen drove in a pair and proved the difference in the game.  Theresa Houle led off the bottom of the inning with a base hit for San Marcos, but there was no magic left in the teams' bats, as the rally died and Columbia won 3-1.

Tomorrow CSUSM will face off against conference rival and defending NAIA National Champion Simon Fraser, starting at noon at CSUSM.