FULLERTON, Calif. – Finishing up the first week of the season, Santa Clara softball fell to Cal State Fullerton 8-0 in five innings and 10-1 in five innings to defending national champion No. 2 Oklahoma. The Broncos are now 0-5 on the young season.
Santa Clara returns to the field Fri., Feb. 21at 3 p.m. vs. Iowa State in its first game of the Santa Clara Marriott Bronco Classic.
Game 1
Brianna Rios (0-1) picked up the loss for Santa Clara in 1.1 innings pitched. Rios allowed four runs on four hits with two walks. Kelly Scribner led the offense with a double in two at-bats. Rochelle Rivera, Chiara Biagini and Jordan Newell each added one hit apiece.
Christina Washington (1-0) got the win for Fullerton in 4.0 innings pitched. Washington allowed three hits and stuck out three. Missy Taukeiaho led the offense going 1-2 with a run scored and two RBI. Ariel Tsuchiyama was 1-2 with a double and two RBI while Gabby Aragon also added a hit and two RBI.
After scoring once in the bottom of the first, Cal State Fullerton scored three times in the bottom of the second. Kayla Blanco walked with one down and pinch runner Jena Rubio stole second. Back-to-back triples by Paige Kisling and Leesa Harris led to two more runs. Taukeiaho reached on a fielder's choice that knocked in the third run of the inning and made it a 4-0 game.
Chiara Biagini started the top of the fourth with an infield single to third base and was lifted for pinch runner Sarah Mosher. A fielder's choice and a double play ended the inning for the Broncos.
Fullerton scored four more times in the bottom of the fourth to make in an eight run game. With the bases loaded and no outs Taukeiaho hit a sac fly that advanced all three runners and Tsuchiyama followed with a two-RBI double down the right field line. The inning ended after two more runs came across.
The Broncos went down in order in the top of the fifth and the game ended 8-0.
Game 2
Jessica Turner (0-3) got the loss for Santa Clara in 2.0-plus innings pitched. Turner allowed six hits and eight runs with one strikeout. Jordan Newelll led the offense with a solo home run in two at bats.
Georgia Casey (1-1) picked up the win while throwing 3.1 innings with one hit and one run while striking out three. Casey also led the offense by going 3-3 with a home run, four RBI and a stolen base and Shelby Pendley was 203 with a home run and three RBI.
The Broncos jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Newell hit a home run in the second at bat of the game.
The lead held until the Sooner offense exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the third. Casey led off the inning with a solo home run to left. After the next two batters reached, Pendley homered to left to make it 4-1 Oklahoma. After two more runs came across, Turner was lifted for Brianna Rios. The Sooners added three more runs before Santa Clara got out of the inning.
Oklahoma added another run in the fourth and Santa Clara was unable to mount a comeback in the fifth to end the game.