April 1, 2008
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - In the first game of their double header Tuesday, the Santa Clara softball team (4-32) fell 8-2 to Cal State Bakersfield (15-18). Noelani Ho'opi'i went 2-for-3 in the game, scoring one of the two Bronco runs.
Kaitlyn Rauschnot pitched 5.2 innings for Santa Clara, giving up six runs, five earned, on nine hits while striking out three. Jackie Morales came in to relieve Rauschnot and pitched the final 1.1 innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while striking out two.
The Roadrunners struck first in the top of the first inning with a leadoff double by Bethany Snow followed by two more hits by Bakersfield that drove in one run. Rauschnot closed out the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
The Broncos gave up just one more run in the fifth, but things opened up for Bakersfield in the sixth inning with a two-run homerun by Pikake Nutter-Gaudet after a Santa Clara error allowed the runner on base. The Roadrunners would score three more runs in the inning off four hits to bring the score to 7-0.
Santa Clara tried to mount a comeback, loading the bases in the sixth with just one out. Ho'opi'i scored on a groundout by Jenna Fong, but a lineout by Breann Netto ended the rally with just one run across.
Cal State Bakersfield added one more run in the seventh to make the score 8-1. Ashley Blier singled to start the seventh, but two quick outs later, Santa Clara tried to mount a two-out rally. Ashley Grove singled to center to score Blier and Ho'opi'i plated another single, but Amanda Edmonson struck out swinging to end the game.
The loss extends Santa Clara's losing streak to 12 games. The Broncos will complete their double-header against the Roadrunners later in the afternoon.
