March 24, 2002
STOCKTON, Calif. - Senior Deanna Rodriguez had three hits as the Santa Clara University softball team battled 12th-ranked Washington in the second game of an afternoon doubleheader, but it wasn't enough as the Huskies pulled out a 5-2 victory with three runs in the final two innings. Washington took the first contest 9-0 in five innings.
The games were played at the University of Pacific's Simoni Field after rain earlier this weekend made SCU's home field, Marsalli Park, unplayable. The Broncos, now 13-20 on the season, will host Western Washington on Monday back at home. First pitch is slated for noon. The Huskies improve to 28-8 on the year.
Junior Kristi Harrington bounced back from a first-game collision at third base to make some key defensive stops in the second game, as the Broncos took a 1-0 lead in the first and went into the sixth tied at two runs apiece.
Santa Clara scored in the first off of freshman Lacey Smale's RBI single. Harrington walked with one out to put the Broncos on base and was able to advance to third on junior Tracie Hall's single up the middle. Washington countered with one run each in the next two innings. One of those scores was an in-the-park homerun in the second after Bronco freshman outfielder Andria Plasencia's right cleat got stuck in the fence as she was attempting to make the catch. With an injured ankle, she left the game to be checked out at a local emergency room.
In the fourth, junior Roni Rivera singled to center field with one out on the board. Rodriguez advanced Rivera with a well-placed bunt, reaching base herself. Despite a Husky pitching change, pinch hitter Kelley Johnson walked to load the bases. Junior outfielder Coresta Salas brought in Rivera but the Broncos' next batter grounded into a double play before the team could bring in any more scores.
Washington added two unearned runs in the sixth to grab its final lead of the doubleheader. Husky Kristen Rivera posted her second home run of the game in the seventh to cap all scoring. Rodriguez took the loss in the circle to move to 6-9 on the season. Ashley Boek earned the win for Washington to improve to 11-1 overall.
In the opener, Washington scored two runs each in the second and fourth innings, before Harrington's single in the bottom of the fourth gave the Bronco offense its only hit of the first game. In the fifth, the Huskies scored five runs on five hits--including a home run by Kathy Fiske--but were aided by two SCU errors to open up a 9-0 lead. Santa Clara was unable to post any scores in the bottom of that inning, invoking the eight-run mercy rule.
Johnson took the loss for the Broncos and fell to 5-4 in the circle. Tia Bollinger, who earned a save in the second game, picked up the win in the first to move to 11-4 on the season.
Washington stole six bases in the two games, and left 11 runners on base.
