SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Kicking-off the final weekend of the regular season, Santa Clara softball dropped two games to San Diego by a final of 3-2 in eight innings and 5-4 in 11 innings. The Broncos are now 10-33 overall and 5-9 in WCC action while the Toreros are now 25-21 overall and 9-5 in conference play.
Santa Clara returns to the field tomorrow, Sun., May 11 at 10 a.m. for Senior Day. The Broncos will honor seniors Stephanie Fisher, Kelly Scribner, Krista Jensen, Rochelle Rivera, and Jessica Turner.
Game 1
Ciara Gonzales (5-17) started for Santa Clara and picked up a loss in 8.0 innings. Gonzales allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Stephanie Fisher was 1-4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored to lead the offense. Kelly Scribner was 1-4 with an RBI double as well.
Cassidy Coleman (13-10) started for San Diego and picked up a win in 8.0 innings. Coleman allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Dana Prelsnik was 3-3 with a double and three runs scored to lead the offense. Chloe Kaneko was 2-4 with a double and two RBI as well.
Prelsnik led off the game with a single to right and was moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. Kaneko doubled to left to give San Diego the quick 1-0 lead.
Prelsnik doubled off the glove of Rochelle Rivera with one out in the top of the third and moved up to third on a ground out. Kaneko flipped a single to left for her second RBI of the day.
Fisher got the Broncos within one when she blasted a homer to left with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Scribner followed by reaching on an error but was stranded.
Fisher worked a long at-bat for a walk with two down in the bottom of the sixth and Scribner hit the next pitch into left center field for a double that tied the game at 2-2.
Krista Jensen worked a 10-pitch walk with one out in the home half of the seventh to put the winning run on base for Santa Clara. After a hard-hit lineout to left, Cassandra Padilla was hit by a pitch. Rivera hit an infield single that would have loaded the bases but Jensen was thrown out trying to score all the way from second to end the inning.
Charly Swanberg walked leading off the top of the eighth and was lifted for pinch-runner Morgan Kurtz. Prelsnik laid down a sacrifice bunt but reached safely when the throw to second was late. Mary Grabowski came up to pinch-hit and hit into a fielder's choice. Kaneko hit a fielder's choice but a bad throw trying to turn the double play got past Scribner at first and let the go ahead run come in.
Scribner hit a deep fly to left with two down in the bottom of the eighth but the balled stayed in the park and was caught for the final out.
Game 2
Jessica Turner (4-9) started for Santa Clara and picked up a no-decision in 5.2 innings. Turner allowed four runs, three earned, on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Gonzales (5-18) got the loss in 5.1 innings out of the bullpen. Fisher was 1-3 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored to lead the offense. Jordan Newell was 1-4 with a walk and a run scored while Jensen was 1-3 with a walk.
Jenny Lahitte (10-10) started for San Diego and picked up a win in 11.0 innings. Lahitte allowed four runs, one earned, on five hits with three walks and 10 strikeouts. Kaneko was 4-6 with the game-winning RBI to lead the offense. Prelsnik was 1-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBI while Rooney was 2-5 with an RBI.
Prelsnik led off the game by reaching on an error by the second baseman. After a strikeout, Kaneko flipped one to right for a single that put runners on the corners. Caitlin Rooney laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on a fielder's choice when the throw home was late that allowed San Diego to take a 1-0 lead.
Fisher tied the game with two down in the bottom of the first with a home run off the right field foul pole.
A fielding error and a throwing error by the shortstop on a ground ball by Padilla put a runner on second to start things in the bottom of the third for the Broncos. Newell came up with a single to left and a bad thrown from the left fielder let a run come in and Newell to move to third. Fisher was intentionally walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. Another error on the shortstop on a grounder by Scribner put Santa Clara up 3-1 with just one out. A passed ball pushed across another run before the inning ended.
With runners on the corners and two outs, Prelsnik got the Toreros within one with a triple to right that made the score 4-3. Tatum Schultz tied the game with a single to center. Gonzales came in to pitch for Santa Clara and got the final out.
Rooney led off the seventh with a bad-hop single past the second baseman. Kylie McNutt came into run and moved to third on a double by Sandusky. Sandusky rounded second too far and was thrown out for the first out of the inning. Gonzales got a soft liner and a grounder to escape the jam with the game still tied.
Swanberg started the 10th with a double to right field that set things up for the top of the order. After two outs, Kaneko singled up the middle to break the tie and put San Diego on top 5-4.
The Broncos went down in order in the bottom of the 11th to end the game.