PHOENIX, Ariz. – After splitting on opening day, Santa Clara softball fell to No. 21 Tulsa by a final of 6-4 and Northern Colorado 5-0. The Broncos are now 1-3 on the season.
Santa Clara returns to the field tomorrow Sun., Feb. 8 at 12:30 and 3 vs. Grand Canyon.
Game 1
McCall James (0-1) started for Santa Clara and picked up a loss in 6.2 innings. James allowed six runs on 12 hits with two walks and one strikeout. Ellie Fisher was 2-2 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI to lead the offense. Breezy Bernard was 2-4 with a double while Geenamarie Bonilla and Gianetta France each picked up an RBI.
Emily Watson (1-0) started for Tulsa and picked up a win in the complete game. Watson allowed four runs on nine hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Erica Sampson was 3-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI to lead the offense. Julie Kernen was 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI while Kate Myers added an RBI.
Tulsa jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. After back-to-back infield singles started the game, Sampson swatted a home run to left field. Kernen doubled with one down and scored on a two-out single by Myers.
Casandra Padilla and Amanda Delfino singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Fisher singled to left to knock in the first Bronco run of the day and make the score 4-1.
Bernard doubled down the left field line to lead off the bottom of the sixth and was lifted for pinch runner Taylor Bojorquez. Bonilla grounded out to advance the runner and France knocked in the run with a double down the left field line.
After two quick outs in the top of the seventh, Tulsa added two insurance runs. Sampson singled and Catherine Horner followed with a single of her own. Sampson went to third on the hit and Horner moved up on the throw. Kernen followed with a two-RBI single down the right field line to make the score 6-2.
Padilla started the bottom of the seventh by getting hit with a pitch and moving to third on a wild pitch and an error. Fisher knocked in the run with a single to left. With two down Bernard singled to left and Fisher moved to third. Bonilla singled in the run but the next batter fouled out to end the game.
Game 2
Ciara Gonzales (1-1) started for Santa Clara and picked up a loss in 4.0 innings. Gonzales allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits. Bernard, Bonilla, and Newell each had one hit for the Broncos.
Jayme Reddacliff (1-2) started for Northern Colorado and picked up a win in the complete game. Reddacliff allowed four hits with three strikeouts. Lauren Paige was 2-3 with a home run and two RBI to lead the offense. Morgan Yuhas was 1-3 with a pair of RBI while Erica Dick was 2-2 with a double and two runs scored.
Dick doubled to right center to lead off the home half of the first and moved to third on an error by the right fielder. Yuhas grounded back to the pitcher to knock in the run.
A single and hit batter put two on with none out in the bottom of the third. Yuhas doubled down the right field line to knock in a run. Jenna Jordan followed with a sacrifice bunt that brought in the second run of the inning to make the score 3-0 Bears.
After two were down in the top of the fifth Ashley Haney singled to left and moved to second on a wild pitch. Delfino reached on an error and moved to second on a passed ball but Fisher went down swinging to end the inning.
The Bears added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kaitlin Flynn walked with one out and Paige homered to right center with two down to make the score 5-0.
Jordan Newell led off the top of the seventh with a single to left but the next three batters went down in order to end the game.
