SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 8 Cal State San Marcos softball team had a doubleheader sweep over Simpson in sight, but the Cougars surrendered five unearned runs in the top of the seventh of game two to allow SU to snag the nightcap, 7-6. CSUSM won the opener, 3-2.
CSUSM moves to 22-7 overall and has now split four consecutive doubleheaders dating back to Feb. 27. Simpson is now 21-13 overall.
CSUSM will begin a span of playing three ranked teams in a span of six days, starting tomorrow at noon in La Mirada against No. 16 Biola. The Cougars will play No. 3 Concordia (Calif.) in Irvine on Tuesday and No. 12 Vanguard in Costa Mesa on Thursday. Wednesday, CSUSM faces Hope International in Fullerton.
Game 1Naomi Amu hit a three-run home run in the top of the first inning for the Cougars only runs, CSUSM starter
Ashley Dagenais (11-3) did her best to keep Simpson at-bay, and
Melyssa Bellamy started a game-ending double-play as the Cougars held on for a 3-2 victory.
After
Caylyn Rodriguez walked and
Olivia Lucatuorto came aboard with a bunt-single, Amu sent her 11
th homer of the year over the left-field fence to make it 3-0.
Runs in the third and sixth by the Red Hawks pulled Simpson within 3-2 and it looked as though SU might be able to tie it up when the tying runner reached second base with one out in the top of the seventh.
However, Bellamy snagged Kaylana Mah's sharp grounder at short, reached out and tagged Ryan Norton, and then fired it over to first in time to get Mah for the game-ending 6-3 double-play.
CSUSM mustered just two hits after Amu's blast.
Dagenais finished with four strikeouts while giving up six hits and a single earned run.
Game 2A four-run fifth inning handed CSUSM a 6-2 advantage and it appeared as if it might give the Cougars might cruise to a victory, but the Red Hawks scored five unearned runs off of three Cougar errors in the top of the seventh to win by one.
Back-to-back doubles by Rodriguez and Lucatuorto put the Cougars ahead 3-2 and Amu followed with another three-run blast to make it 6-2 in the fifth.
Amu (0-1) took over in the circle and worked an uneventful sixth inning, but SU came knocking in its final at-bat thanks to a number of defensive miscues.
The first batter reached on an error and SU loaded the bases on back-to-back walks. Amu then got a grounder to short, but the throw to home to get the lead runner was mishandled, which allowed two runners to score and make it 6-4.
With runners on second and third and no one out, Julissa Castellanos singled up the middle to drive in a pair of runners and make it 6-6, and took second on an error in the outfield.
SU went ahead on Marissa Marmolejo's double to left center that scored Castellanos.
SU jumped on the Cougars in its first at-bat, as Norton doubled to left and was brought home with a single from Brown. The Red Hawks loaded the bases, but CSUSM starter
Katie Wilkinson did well to escape the jam with no more damage done.
Robyn Alvara put the Cougars ahead 2-1 in their half of the first inning with a two-out, two-run double to right center that scored Rodriguez and Bellamy.
The Red Hawks chased Wilkinson in the third inning after the first three batters of the inning reached safely. Dagenais took over for Wilkinson and promptly plunked the first batter she faced, forcing home a run to make it 2-2.
Then Dagenais drew a fly-ball to center field that was caught by Rodriguez. Rachel Last appeared to score on the sac fly, but was later called out on appeal for leaving the bag early.
Gifted the second out of the inning, Dagenais then got Marissa Marmalejo to line out to end the third with the score tied at 2-2.
Rodriguez was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles in game two.
