Long Beach State Keeps Big West Softball Race Tight

With a logjam atop the Big West Conference standings, the Long Beach State softball team knew that it had to sweep its three game series against rival Cal State Fullerton to keep pace with conference leader, University of the Pacific.

Long Beach State(34-15, 12-5 Big West Conference) did the second best thing, splitting a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, winning the first game 7-6, then losing the second game, 6-5.

“Every year (these games against Fullerton) is a battle,” Long Beach head coach Kim Sowder said of its rivalry with Cal State Fullerton.

Currently, Long Beach remains in a tie for first with UOP, both at 12-5 in Big West play.

 “Every (conference) game is an important game,” Sowder said. “We plan for it since the beginning of the season.”

In the first game, Fullerton (22-21, 11-6 Big West Conference) jumped  on Long Beach starting pitcher Erin Jones-Wesley as she walked three Titans in the first inning.  Fullerton would score on a Long Beach error.  They would score one more run in the second inning.  A Torrie Anderson home run in the third and two more runs in the fourth gave Fullerton an early 5-0 lead.

Fullerton starter Katey Laban would hold Long Beach State scoreless for four innings before giving way to Ari Cervantes.  She finished giving up no runs on only one hit, but would take the loss.

“We were swinging at balls in the early parts of the game,” Sowder said.  “We are definitely capable of hitting those inside, outside stuff.  We just had to be more patient.”

Cervantes, however could not protect the lead as Long Beach would bat around to score six runs in its half of the  inning, highlighted by a Nalani St. Germain three-run homer to take a 6-5 lead.  Christina Shallag would single to open the fifth inning. Karli Sandavol would then reach on an error followed by a Bree Stephan single.  With the bases loaded, Hanna De Gaetano would promptly clear the bases with a three-RBI double. Schallag would hit a home run in the sixth inning to take a 7-5 lead.

Fullerton scored one more in the seventh, but it was not enough as Long Beach was able to hold on and escape with the victory.

Game two was pretty much the same as game one. Fullerton would score first with a run in the first and four in the third.  This time, however, Long Beach would not be able to overcome the early 5-0 deficit.

Long Beach would score its first run in the third inning.  Stephan singled and later scored on an RBI double by De Gaetano. 

Pinch hitter Jennifer Madigan hit her first career home run, a three run shot which closed the gap to 6-5 in the sixth inning.

De Gaetano would later rob Fullerton of a homerun with a spectacular catch at the wall to keep the deficit at 6-5, but that would how the game would end, as Long Beach failed to score in its half of the seventh.

Long Beach State looks to take the rubber game, which will be held Sunday at 1 pm.

“Of course we wanted to take both games,”  Sowder said, “What’s important now is tomorrow’s game. That is our focus.”

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

BIG WEST GAMES

ALL GAMES

W

L

Pct.

W

L

T

Pct.

H

A

N

Pacific

16

4

.765

37

16

0

.680

16-4

12-6

9-6

Long Beach State

12

5

.733

34

15

0

.702

20-5

3-4

11-6

Cal State Fullerton

11

6

.667

22

21

0

.512

13-10

6-3

3-8