The UCSD women’s softball team started conference play over the weekend by splitting a doubleheader with UC Davis and winning two over Chico State University.
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The California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season opened at Triton Softball Field on Friday afternoon when the nationally fifth-ranked UC Davis Aggies came for a doubleheader. Fresh off throwing a no-hitter against Vanguard University, Triton senior Leea Harlan took the mound in the first game, but it quickly became apparent that Davis would not let her repeat that feat.
The Aggies opened the scoring in the top of the first inning with one out, then they strung together three consecutive hits to take a 1-0 lead. With runners on second and third and only one out, the Aggies looked poised to break the game open, but the Triton defense picked up when UCSD shortstop Kim Aggabao fielded a grounder and caught the Davis baserunner in a rundown between third and home. Harlan induced a weak groundout back to the mound to end the inning, and then the Triton bats went to work.
As she would do many times over the weekend, UCSD third baseman Amy Mettee came up big at the plate, opening the inning with a double off Susan Churchwell. The game was tied on the very next play when an error allowed Mettee to scamper home and sent left fielder Kristina Anderson to second.
With two outs and Anderson on third, Christi Martinelli reached on Churchwell’s second throwing error of the inning, allowing Anderson to score. Right fielder Jamie Hurst came through in the clutch with a single to center that brought Martinelli around to score due to a fielding error by Davis catcher Angie Linsenmeyer. The Tritons scored three runs in the inning off two hits and three Davis errors to take a 3-1 lead.
Aggie first baseman Suzanne Yale cut into that lead immediately with a towering solo home run to open the second inning. Harlan then settled into a rhythm, retiring six of the next seven batters she faced. Leading off in the top of the fourth, Linsenmeyer broke Harlan’s rhythm with a leadoff double that the Aggies turned into a run to tie the game.
UCSD came back with a run in the bottom of the fourth when catcher Kristin Hunstad’s one-out single was manufactured into a run with the help of another Aggie error and a wild pitch.
The Davis bats awoke in the last inning when Jenny Hall led off with a double. Two batters later, Aggie center fielder Shyamala White connected with Harlan’s 3-2 offering and sent it soaring over the left field fence to give Davis a 5-4 lead.
“”[White] waits really well and I was trying to bust her inside,”” Harlan said afterward. “”But I left the ball a little bit too far over the plate and she turned on it.””
Freshman Breanne Cope started UCSD off with a single and advanced to second when Churchwell committed her third error of the game, allowing Mettee to reach base. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out. Harlan reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Cope with the tying run and moving Mettee to third. Aggabao then picked up her first hit of the day, bringing in Mettee and winning the opener for the Tritons.
“”We didn’t play our best but we played as a team,”” head coach Patti Gerckens said afterward. “”When we play as a team, we will win games.””
The team effort was less successful in the second game because the Tritons lacked big hits and played somewhat suspect defense en route to a 3-1 loss.
White hit her second home run of the afternoon, this one a two-run shot that was enough to provide a lead the Aggies would not relinquish.
The lone Triton run came in the sixth when Harlan and Martinelli each doubled. Davis pitcher Amy Rosson was strong, allowing only six hits over seven innings for the win. Despite the split, coach Gerckens felt good about the way her club stacked up against Davis.
“”They didn’t impress me that much. I think we’re a better team,”” she said.
The Tritons were given an opportunity to prove themselves when they took on the Wildcats of Chico State on Saturday.
“”Chico State is not somebody we should ever lose to,”” Harlan said.
Harlan allowed only two hits in seven innings for the complete game shutout. Mettee walked in the first inning, was sacrificed to second, went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch for the game’s only run.
In the second game, pitcher Martinelli sparkled, striking out 14 Wildcats in the 2-1 victory. Martinelli also picked up an RBI in the sixth inning against Wildcat pitcher Katie Stokx.
After five-and-a-half scoreless innings, UCSD capitalized on a Wildcat mistake to get its half of the inning started. Anderson reached base because Chico shortstop Megan Farnham could not handle a sharply hit grounder. Anderson moved to second when Harlan laid down a sacrifice bunt. Aggabao followed with a bunt of her own, beating it out for a single and moving Anderson to third base. Martinelli followed with a clutch single to give the Tritons the lead. Two batters later, Aggabao scored on a Hurst single to center, giving UCSD a two-run cushion.
The Wildcats built a rally in the top of the seventh, scoring once and bringing the tying and lead runs to third and second base before the Tritons closed it out.
