Published 2007-03-06T00:00:00Z”/>
Grant Hotaling
The Wildcat softball team played some good ball, some mediocre ball and some down right lousy ball over the weekend. The outcome was Chico State’s record falling to 2-8 in conference play and to 6-12 overall.
The good ball came Friday when the ‘Cats split a doubleheader, losing the first game 2-1 in extra innings and winning the second 7-2.
Vanessa Zboril was sharp on the pitching mound for the Wildcats in game one and held San Francisco State scoreless through the first six innings.
Head coach Jamie Brown was impressed by Zboril’s effort.
“That was the best game she’s pitched all year,” Brown said.
The Wildcats tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a pinch-hit RBI single by Nickie Jarrett but came up empty in the eighth after San Francisco State scored in the top half.
“We really battled and came back, and that helped us going into the second game,” Brown said.
The Wildcats’ bats came alive in the second game on Friday as Chico State scored seven runs and went on to easily win 7-2. Megan Bera led the attack for the ‘Cats with three hits and an RBI. Chelsea Lundberg went 2-4 with two RBIs.
For the second game in a row, the Wildcats got a strong performance from their starting pitching. Rachel Gendron went 5 1/3 innings and gave up one earned run. She also chipped in offensively with two hits and two RBIs.
“This was the best day that we’ve had so far,” Brown said. “We played tough defense, and the pitchers got through a lot of jams.”
Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, Saturday was a different story. Chico State made a barrage of fielding and base-running errors during both games and paid the price, losing 10-6 and 5-1.
The Wildcats are tied for last place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, and getting back on track may be difficult as they play three of the top five teams in the league over the next three weeks.
Chico State faces Cal State Dominguez Hills away Friday and Saturday. The team’s next home games are scheduled for March 16 and 17, when it hosts Cal State San Bernardino.
Grant Hotaling can be reached at <a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>
