SANTA CLARA, Calif. – On the final day of the Santa Clara Marriott Round Robin, Santa Clara softball lost to Grand Canyon by a final of 3-2 and fell to Cal by a final of 5-3. The Broncos are now 4-20 on the season while the Lopes are now 15-15 and the Bears are 18-11.
Santa Clara returns to the field Sat., April 5 at 12 p.m. at Pacific in the conference-opener.
Game 1
Briana Rios (1-3) started for Santa Clara and picked up a loss in 6.1 innings. Rios allowed three runs on nine hits with two walks. Geenamarie Bonilla was 2-3 with an RBI to lead the offense. Cassandra Padilla was 2-3 with a double while Stephanie Fisher was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
Stephanie Pesqueira (6-7) started for Grand Canyon and picked up a win in the complete game. Pesqueira allowed two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Pesqueira was 2-3 with a double to lead the offense. Lauren Regester was 3-4 while Claire Zampini was 1-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Regester singled to right to start the top of the second for the Lopes. After a fielder's choice and a groundout, Kylie Shull blooped a single to right to knock in the run. Pesqueira followed with a single through the left side but the inning ended on runner's interference.
Zampini walked to start the fifth and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. She made it to third on a groundout but a deep fly to left ended the inning with the score still 1-0 Grand Canyon.
Bonilla smoked a single past the third baseman on the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth. Krista Jensen laid down a sac bunt and Chiara Biagini was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out. The next two Santa Clara batters went down to end the threat.
Rochelle Rivera legged out an infield single to shortstop to start the home half of the sixth. After a groundout moved the runner to second, Fisher doubled over the head of the centerfielder to tie the game at 1-1. Bonilla singled to right to put Santa Clara on top for the first time in the game.
Pesqueira started the seventh with a double to left-center and Zampini singled off Rios' glove to put runners on the corners for the top of the order. A liner to second was the first out but Henry tied the game with a single to center. Kelsey Barak followed with an RBI double to left to get the Lopes out to a 3-2 lead. Ciara Gonzales came in to pitch for Santa Clara and got a pair of groundouts to end the inning.
Game 2
Jessica Turner (2-8) started for Santa Clara and got the loss while facing five batters without recording an out. Turner allowed three runs on two hits with three walks. Kelly Scribner was 2-3 with a home run and two RBI to lead the offense. Rivera was 1-3 with a double and a run scored while Krista Jensen was 1-3 with a double and an RBI.
Katie Finch (5-3) started for Cal and picked up a win in the complete game. Finch allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Cheyenne Cordes was 2-3 with two doubles, a run scored, and a walk to lead the offense. Kylie Reed was 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI while Ashley Decker was 2-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI.
Cheyenne Cordes led off the game with a double off the left field wall and scored on a single up the middle by Kylie Reed. Three straight walks brought in the second run of the inning and Turner was lifted for Ciara Gonzales. Ashley Decker it a sac fly to make the score 3-0 and the inning ended when Breezy Bernard gunned down a would-be base stealer.
With two down and runners on the corners in the top of the fourth, Bernard attempted to pick off the runner at first but her throw was in the dirt and the run came across to make the score 4-0 Cal.
Rivera flipped a double to left with one out in the bottom of the fourth for the first Santa Clara base runner of the game. Scribner followed with an RBI single up the middle to get the Broncos within three.
A bases loaded walk with two outs in the top of the sixth brought in the fifth Bears' run of the game. Gonzales got out of the inning with a called strike three.
Scribner led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run to center. After an out was recorded, Bernard drew a walk and Amanda Delfino came in to pinch-run. Delfino moved up on a wild pitch with two outs and scored on a double to right-center by Jensen.
