IRVINE, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team rallied for three runs in its final at-bat, but fell a run short on its way to dropping a pair of games, 6-0 and 5-4, to Concordia (Calif.) on Friday afternoon at Eagles Field.
The Cougars snapped a 22-inning scoreless streak by scoring four runs over the final two innings of the night cap. CSUSM drops to 2-4 overall while CUI improves to 2-0.
CSUSM will host its first home doubleheader of the season on Sunday against St. Martin's at 11 a.m. at CSUSM Softball Field.
Game 1The Eagles dinged CSUSM starter
Ashley Dagenais (1-2) for three homeruns and four runs in the bottom of the first inning and the Cougars were only able to muster four hits in a 6-0 loss.
Hannah Howell and Jasmin Dresser went back-to-back in the bottom of the first, forcing Dagenais to be replaced by
Amanda Horbasch in the circle. Howell went deep again off Horbasch in the third inning to make it 6-0.
Dagenais did re-enter the game in the bottom of the fourth inning for Horbasch and did not give up a hit the rest of her three frames.
Horbasch went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Game 2The Cougars had the go-ahead run at the plate with no outs and two runners aboard in the top of the seventh, but BethAnn McCann forced
Robyn Alvara into a double play that snuffed out the threat in the Eagles' 5-4 victory.
Caylyn Rodriguez's RBI single pulled the Cougars within 4-1 in the top of the sixth, but CUI's Nicole Chavez answered with a homerun to push the lead back to four in the bottom of the frame.
After
Melyssa Bellamy singled and Horbasch came aboard with a walk in the seventh,
Brogan Hoenisch delivered a two-run double that pulled the Cougars within 5-3.
Amanda Lejano singled to put runners on the corners before head coach
Laurie Nevarez pinch-hit Alvara for freshman
Rylee Johnson.
On a 1-1 pitch, Alvara smacked a hard groundball to second and defensive-substitute Kaylee Dalgan started the 4-6-3 double play. Hoenisch came in to score to make it 5-4.
McCann then forced
Tayler Ybarra to ground out to first to end the ball game.
Horbasch (1-2) was dealt the loss. Horbasch combined to go 3-for-5 at the plate on the day.
Two Cougar errors led to an unearned run in the Eagles' four-run third inning.
