March 26, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two seventh inning comebacks came up just short against UC Riverside (14-19) as Santa Clara (4-31) fell 8-7 and 5-4 in their double header Wednesday. Trailing 8-2 in the first game of the day, the Broncos put up five runs in the bottom of the seventh, and trailing 5-2 in the final inning of the second game, the Bronco rally was stopped at two runs with a runner stranded in scoring position on both occasions.
Jackie Morales started the first leg of the double-header and went the distance, giving up eight runs, four earned, on ten hits. Morales gave up just one run in the first inning in which she gave up three hits. A two-run home run by Marissa Alvidrez brought the score to 3-0 in the third inning. The Highlanders poured in three more runs in the fourth with three hits and assisted by two Bronco errors.
Santa Clara brought the score to 6-2 after scoring one run apiece in the fourth and sixth innings, both on passed balls, but as UC Riverside matched them with two runs in the seventh, an 8-2 deficit seemed too much to overcome.
But the Broncos came out hot in the seventh, Breann Netto started things off with a single up the middle and Ashley Blier kept things going with a double to left-center. Jenna Fong came in to pinch hit and walked while Netto scored on a passed ball. Fong then stole second before Jeanine Ruffoni walked to load the bases. Ashley Grove then brought in a run on an RBI single to right-center. Then Noelani Ho'opi'i hit a shot to center field, scoring two runs and advancing to second as Grove recorded the first out as she got caught in a rundown between second and third. Maggie Godfrey kept the rally alive, doubling to right and advancing Ho'opi'i to third. Amanda Edmonson hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Ho'opi'i and bringing the tying run, Godfrey, to third with two outs. Morales came up to the plate and hit a hard shot to left that was caught by the left fielder, ending the rally and the game.
Ho'opi'i went 2-for-3 in the game with two RBIs. Edmonson also knocked in two runs. Netto went 2-for-3 as well in the game.
In the second part of the double-header, Kaitlyn Rauschnot started and pitched a valiant complete game, giving up five runs, two earned, on six hits. UC Riverside continued to start the game strong, scoring one run in the first inning off two errors and a single. Then they added four more to bring the score to 5-0 in the third on two more errors and a double.
The Broncos started chipping back with one run the fourth on an Edmonson RBI and one in the fifth on an RBI from Grove right up the middle, but they still faced a 5-2 deficit going into the bottom of the seventh. After two quick outs, the game seemed over before Ruffoni drew a walk and Grove started the rally with a single to left, followed by a wild pitch to advance the runners and a two RBI double by Ho'opi'i to bring the game to within one run. Godfrey then hit a shot right up the middle that was scooped up nicely by the pitcher and thrown to first to end the game.
Grove went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Ho'opi'i chipped in with a 2-for-4 effort and two RBIs.
The Broncos next play at home on Tuesday, April 1 in a double-header against Cal State Bakersfield starting at 2 p.m.
