CLERMONT, Fla. (March 6) – The California (PA) softball team suffered a pair of one-run losses on Monday morning while at the PFX Spring Games, falling by a 5-4 margin in extra innings to Bemidji State (Minn.) and dropping a 4-3 contest to Cedarville (Ohio).
With the losses, the Vulcans fall to 6-8 overall with a 2-6 record while in The Sunshine State. Cal has already played schools from six different states at the PFX Spring Games this year.
Against Bemidji State (6-5), Cal played its first extra inning game of the season with the last two innings being played with the international tiebreaker. The Vulcans tied the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth before both teams were held scoreless in the seventh.
BSU and Cal each manufactured one run in the eighth, as both teams scored on a sacrifice fly. In the top of the ninth, the Beavers executed back-to-back bunts to claim a 5-4 lead before the Vulcans were unable to advance the runner from second in the bottom half.
Sophomore
Caleigh Rister (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) suffered the loss after surrendering five runs (three earned) on five hits over a career-high 9.0 innings. She also registered six strikeouts and issued zero walks while tossing her fourth complete game of the season. BSU reliever Stella Dolan earned the victory after yielding one run (unearned) over 3.2 hitless innings.
The Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the first on a homer by center fielder Elaina Christiansen before adding one run in the fourth after the inning started with a triple. Cal left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth and stranded a runner at third in the fifth before scoring three runs in the sixth. The Vulcans opened the inning with three-straight singles with sophomore shortstop
Kaitlyn Achtermeier (Gilford, Ontario/Bill Crothers) scoring on a base hit by junior first baseman
Shayna Postler (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park). Cal later scored on an error before Postler scored the tying run on a bases-loaded walk, 3-3.
Sophomore left fielder
Carlena Fiorilli (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon) and senior second baseman
Mackenzie Carson (Tucson, Ariz./Cienega) both finished with a single, one RBI and one walk versus the Beavers.
Against Cedarville (4-5), the Vulcans tied the score at 3-3 in the top of the fourth before the Yellow Jackets later scored the game-winning run in the sixth. Freshman
Madison Lester (Boardman, Ohio/Boardman) was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs (all earned) on 11 hits in 5.1 innings.
The Yellow Jackets collected three-straight singles in the second to take a 1-0 lead before the Vulcans tied the score in the top of the third. Rister drew a two-out walk before Fiorilli followed with an RBI double to left field. Cedarville answered in the bottom half, scoring twice on four hits and a sacrifice fly to take a 3-1 lead.
In the fourth, Lester lined an RBI triple to right field before scoring the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly by Postler. The Yellow Jackets collected back-to-back singles in the sixth before the Vulcans made a pitching change. However, the next batter for Cedarville laced a go-ahead RBI single to left center before the next two batter were retired.
Cal closes play at the PFX Spring Games tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7, when it faces Mountain East Conference (MEC)-members Notre Dame (Ohio) and West Virginia Wesleyan, starting at 9 a.m.
