CLERMONT, Fla. (March 7) – The Vulcans closed play at the PFX Spring Games in Florida on Tuesday morning with a split against a pair of Mount East Conference (MEC) schools, earning a 2-0 win over Notre Dame (Ohio) before suffering a 2-1 walk-off loss to West Virginia Wesleyan.

With the split, the California (PA) softball team moves to 7-9 this season after posting a 3-7 record while in Florida. While at the PFX Spring Games, the Vulcans faced a pair of nationally-ranked teams and played five teams that appeared in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Against Notre Dame (4-5), sophomore Caleigh Rister (Bucyrus, Ohio/Bucyrus) registered her first complete-game shutout of the season. She scattered six hits and issued zero walks over 7.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

The Falcons collected back-to-back singles to open the game before Rister retired 10 of the next 11 batters in order. NDC again stranded a runner in scoring position in the top of the fourth before Cal scored the only runs of the game in the fifth. Sophomore shortstop Kaitlyn Achtermeier (Gilford, Ontario/Bill Crothers) led off the inning with a single before being thrown out at the plate after attempting to score from second on a single by freshman third baseman Makaylia Schlosser (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon). With two outs, sophomore Rylee Evans (Perryopolis, Pa./Frazier) then delivered a pinch-hit, two-run homer to give the Vulcans the-0 lead.

Cal left a pair of runners on base in the sixth before NDC stranded a runner on third in the top of the seventh.

Against West Virginia Wesleyan (8-5), the Vulcans and Bobcats were held scoreless by junior Alyssa Rose (Madison, Ohio/Madison) and 2022 MEC Pitcher of the Year Hannah Hudson. Rose (1-1) suffered the loss after allowing two runs (both earned) on three hits and three walks over 6.2 innings (106 pitches). Hudson earned the complete-game victory while yielding one run (unearned) on seven hits with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings (90 pitches).

Cal looked to mount a two-out rally in the second with back-to-back singles before a pop-up ended the inning. The Bobcats also had runners in scoring position in the second before Rose retired 10-straight batters. The Vulcans opened the top of the sixth with back-to-back singles before Hudson retired the next three hitters in order. In the bottom of the inning, Rose forced WVWC to strand runners on the corners.

The Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the seventh when Rister delivered an RBI single to left field that scored pinch runner Macie LoParo (Hilliard, Ohio/Hillard Bradley) from second. The Bobcats countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning for the walk-off victory. First baseman Morgan Norris tied the score with a one-out RBI triple before the next two batters were issued walks to load the bases and setup a force play at home. Rose then registered a strikeout of the No. 9 batter in the lineup before 2022 All-MEC First-Team outfielder Gracie Hightower delivered the game-winning single to left field.

Junior catcher Britney Wilson (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) and junior right fielder Charity Henderson (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) both collected a pair of singles in the contest.

While in Florida, Rister posted a 0.98 ERA over 35.2 innings pitched in five starts. Achtermeier led the team with a .321 average (9-for-28) and five RBI.

Cal is idle for two weeks before it opens Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play with a doubleheader at Pitt-Johnstown on March 21.