Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
18-12
Iona
2-9
Softball recap: CSU splits final day of California tournament
3/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CSU-Iona Box Score|CSU-Cal State Northridge Box Score
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Colorado State earned a split on Sunday, the final day of the Cal State Northridge Tournament. The Rams (18-13), were victorious against Ionia (2-9) before falling to host Cal State Northridge (21-8), a team receiving top-25 votes. With the split, CSU went 4-1 in the tournament, and prior to the team's loss to the Matadors Sunday afternoon, had extended its win streak to 11 games.
Game 1: Colorado State 10, Iona 2
Both teams kept pace with each other through the first inning, but CSU picked up its tempo late in the game to earn a 10-2 victory. The Rams were on the board first when sophomore Haley Hutton scored on a wild pitch after reaching on a bunt single. Iona added a run of its own in its half of the first to tie the score at 1-1.
From there, CSU was able to steadily take control of the game, scoring three runs in the top of the second, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and four in the seventh. Freshman Hannah McCorkhill singled and scored on Hutton's double down the left-field line. Hutton then came in, along with senior Haley David, when senior Shae Rodriguez singled up the middle.
Backed by freshman pitcher Logan Losh (2-0), Iona's bats kept quiet, allowing CSU to produce in the fourth when Rodriguez scored on a throwing error, and scored again in the sixth, this time on a wild pitch.
"Logan started rolling and getting the strikeouts, which was huge for us," Head Coach Jen Fisher said. "We felt like she settled in nicely after the first inning."
The seventh saw another burst of action as CSU continued to bolster its lead, knocking out Iona's third pitcher of the game. A throwing error by the Gaels allowed Maci Stouffer and Taryn Arcarese to score, each having reached on a walk. Once again, Rodriguez lit up her bat, hitting a triple to score Hutton for one run and bringing the score to 10-1.
"I was proud of Shae; she took the ball in play every time and had three crucial RBIs and scored three times," Fisher said. "She had a good read on the slow fastballs. She's hitting well and running the bases well."
Rodriguez finished 3-for-3 with the three RBI and three runs scored. Hutton had two hits and a walk, also scoring three times, while McCorkhill and freshman Savannah Clark also had a hit. Losh tossed a complete game, allowing two earned runs while striking out nine and surrendering just two walks.
Game 2: Cal State Northridge 6, Colorado State 2
CSU's 11-game win streak came to an end Sunday evening, as Cal State Northridge, a team receiving top-25 votes, knocked off the Rams in the tournament finale.
The Rams took an early 1-0 lead, scoring a two-out run when Rodriguez singled and came around on a Clark double to right. The Matadors would tie the game at 1-1 in their half of the inning, though, and would score in each of the following four innings to lead 6-1 after five frames.
CSU had a good scoring chance in the fourth, having two runners in scoring position with two outs, but couldn't convert the base runners into runs. The Rams did score one time in the seventh, but it wouldn't be enough. In the inning, freshman Madison Kilcrease struck out, but reached on a dropped third strike. She advanced to second on an Arcarese single, and third when Hutton sacrificed the runners over. With one out, Kilcrease came in to score on a Matadors fielding error, but with two runners on, they were able to end the Rams' threat.
CSU managed five hits, with two of them coming from Clark. She had the team's lone RBI, as well. Junior Holly Reinke started in the circle for CSU, working 3.1 innings and allowing three earned runs. Senior Molly Randle took over in the fourth, pitching the final 2.2 innings and allowing zero earned runs (one overall).
"I think we're feeling pretty good about how we've finished these past two weeks and getting some wins under our belt," Fisher said. "Our play has been solid, and in the past few games we've had good defense. I feel like they're ready for the conference season to start."
CSU hosts Fresno State in its Mountain West opener, beginning Friday at Ram Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Losh, Logan (2-0)
L: McMahon (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Hutton, Haley 1
3B: Rodriguez, Shae 1
RBI: Hutton, Haley 1 ; Rodriguez, Shae 3 ; Clark, Savannah 1
SH: Hutton, Haley 1 ; Rodriguez, Shae 1
SF: Clark, Savannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hutton, Haley 3 ; David, Haley 1 ; Rodriguez, Shae 3 ; McCorkhill, Hannah 1 ; Stouffer, Maci 1 ; Arcarese, Taryn 1
SB: Rodriguez, Shae 1 ; Kilcrease, Madison 1 ; Hutton, Taylor 1
HBP: Rodriguez, Shae 1
Batting:
2B: Turner 1
RBI: Turner 1 ; Schauer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hand 1 ; Turner 1
SB: Hand 1
