RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Olivia Lucatuorto's grand slam put a cap on the No. 12 Cal State San Marcos softball team's sweep of La Sierra on Sunday, as the Cougars improved to 19-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles after wins of 7-3 and 9-0 (6 innings).
Robyn Alvara was 3-for-3 in the game-one victory and Lucatuorto tallied five RBI in the afternoon session, as the Cougars moved to 3-1 on the young season.
Naomi Amu finished with three hits and three RBI on the day and the Cougars received two sterling pitching performances from
Katie Wilkinson and
Ashley Dagenais.
CSUSM will be home for the first time next weekend, Feb. 7 and 8, with doubleheaders against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Game 1CSUSM scored three runs in its first at-bat and did not look back the rest of the way.
Lindsay Cerulle led off with a walk and eventually scored when Lucatuorto's single was misplayed by Brianna Gutierrez in the outfield.
Melyssa Bellamy singled to center before Amu brought her and Lucatuorto home with a two-run double.
Holly Fauria started the second inning off with an infield single and came around on Bellamy's single to short center that made it 4-0 in the second inning.
The Golden Eagles got on the board in the bottom half of the second, but Wilkinson would retire nine of the next 10 hitters to keep LSU at bay.
An RBI single from Alvara pushed the lead to 5-1 in the sixth.
Wilkinson got into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth, as LSU loaded the bases with no one out. A two-run single by Katie Witherby cut the score to 5-3, but Wilkinson sat down the next three hitters in order to keep a two-run advantage.
Sarah Quiambao led off the top of the seventh with a single to shallow left and scored on
Tayler Ybarra's RBI double.
Sara Langdon took Ybarra's spot on the base path and eventually scored on a throwing error after Cerulle's drag bunt.
Wilkinson (2-0) worked a complete game, allowing eight hits and three earned runs while striking out four.
Game 2Dagenais (1-1) allowed just two hits and a pair of walks and the sophomore earned her first win of the season behind a solid afternoon at the plate by the Cougars.
Three straight hit-by-pitches loaded the bases for the Cougars in the second inning. Cerulle's RBI single drove in Quiambao and
Karla Bernal scored on a sacrifice fly from Lucatuorto. CSUSM added a third run when Klarissa Garcia's throw to catch a stealing Cerulle was wide, allowing Fauria to score.
Alvara's RBI double made it 4-0 in the fifth inning.
In the sixth, Bernal and Fauria led off with singles and Cerulle came aboard due to another error by LSU. Lucatuorto brought all of them home with a grand slam to deep left on Vanessa Froussine's 3-1 delivery.
Bellamy then walked and eventually took third on a pair of stolen bases.
Genna Main brought her home with a sacrifice fly to make it 9-0.
