Chico State softball starts out hot at home, mercy ruling The William Jessup Warriors 8-0 in their first matchup of the season series. With this win the ‘Cats advance to 3-3 on the season with a chance to advance to above .500 in the second game of the double header.
The game started out slow with zero runs scored by either team through the first two innings. The first score of the game came from Kennedy Gustin off of a single to right field hit by Brianna Swihart.
Following the third inning the ‘Cats put up just one run a piece in the fourth and fifth innings, before pouring it on for five runs in the sixth inning leading to the mercy rule.
Junior pitcher Bella Tavares threw for a dominant performance, tallying nine strikeouts and running through 24 batters in just six innings of play. She threw 88 pitches giving up just five hits throughout the game.
“I just trust my defense and my catcher,”said Tavares. “I know that I’ve prepared for this moment and I trust myself that I can do it.”
Freshman shortstop Lucy Sherburne also had a standout performance tallying two hits for two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI walk. One of Sherburne’s scores came off a crucial pinch hit double by Lauren Carbajal in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“It was really exciting that this was our first home game in the spring so it was fun to come out on fire and have good results,”said Sherburne.
The ‘Cats looked optimistic to keep the momentum rolling into the second game of the double header.
Game 2:
The second game started nearly identical to the first game with three scoreless innings and another hot defensive start for the ‘Cats. However, the result would end up the opposite with the ‘Cats falling to the Warriors 3-1 in game 2.
Freshman pitcher Peyton Wells came out firing on all cylinders despite only pitching just over two full innings prior to this contest. She sat down at the top of the fourth after a great showing giving up zero runs and zero hits, with notching two strikeouts against an experienced William Jessup program.
She was replaced at the pitcher’s plate by senior right handed pitcher Amelie Valdez. Valdez finished the final four innings of the game tallying six strikeouts against 15 batters on only 51 pitches.
The scoring opened at the top of the fourth with a three RBI double by the Warriors. Valdez was able to stop the bleeding and close the inning with a strikeout.
The ‘Cats quickly responded with an Aiyana Curry home run to put Chico State on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, this would be the only run scored for the cats in this contest and for the rest of the game.
“I do think we have all the right pieces to get us to the postseason,” said Tavares in a postgame interview. “I think we will do great if we continue to work on this path together.”
Despite the close victory, the team is still confident in their abilities and in their young players to step up to the plate.
The ‘Cats play next in Tracy, CA in the NorCal Preview Tournament, taking place from Feb. 27 through Mar. 1, slotted for five games during the weekend.
The ‘Cats next home outing will be Friday March 13 at 1 p.m. Cal State University San Marcos is what will once again be a double header and the first home game in league play.
For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.
Note: Aiyana Curry is the sports editor for The Orion. She did not take part in the editorial process for this article.
Cody Rowan can be reached at [email protected]
