May 27, 2000

Box Score

OKLAHOMA CITY - Becky Lemke tossed a five-hit shutout and third baseman Toni Mascarenas went 4-for-4 with three RBI to lead second-seeded Arizona to a 6-0 victory over No. 6 seed California Saturday, eliminating the Bears from the College World Series.

Cal, which went 0-2 in the tournament after falling to Oklahoma, 2-1, in the opening round, finished its season with a 49-25 record, while Arizona improved to 58-8.

"We were able to get some opportunities in the early innings, but we weren't able to get the key hit to score a run," said Cal head coach Diane Ninemire, whose team was making its second straight CWS appearance. "We are a very young team and we were in some pressure situations, so I think this was a great experience for the seven freshmen on our team. Hopefully, we can take something from it and build up upon it for next year, just like we did this past season."

Arizona got to Cal starter Nicole DiSalvio in the top of the first inning for a one-run lead. With one out, Nicole Giordano singled up the middle and went to second on a groundout. Mascarenas then brought her home with a base hit down the right field line.

The Wildcats added to their lead in the second inning on Chrissy Gil's eighth home run of the season to right field.

Arizona moved ahead 4-0 in the third inning. A walk to Lauren Bauer and a single by Giordano put runners on the corners. Consecutive RBI hits by Mascarenas and Lindsey Collins knocked DiSalvio out of the game. Jocelyn Forest replaced her and got the final two outs without giving up any more damage.

The Wildcats' final two runs came on solo homers by Mascarenas and Allison Andrade.

"DiSalvio had a great game against Fresno State (in the regional final last week) and was coming on very strong, so I thought she could go in there and do a great job," said Ninemire. "Unfortunately, neither pitcher did the job today, but I know they put the effort forward."

Cal had plenty of chances to put runs on the board early, but the Bears left seven runners on base through the first three innings. Cal had runners on second and third with one out in the second inning, and then the Bears loaded the bases with one out in the third. However, Cal could not get the key hit in either frame.

For the game, the Bears had at least one base runner in every inning, yet left 10 runners on base. Second baseman Lisa Iancin, Cal's only senior, completed her career by going 3-for-3 at the plate in her final game.

Overall, the Bears, who were making their fifth CWS appearance since 1986, tied for seventh with DePaul in the eight-team field.