March 26, 2008

Box Score

Berkeley - The 23rd-ranked Golden Bear softball team defeated the visiting Pacific Tigers, 9-0 in five innings today at Levine-Fricke Field to improve to 31-10 heading into conference play.

The victory also helped Cal remain undefeated at home and 4-1 against Big West teams as well. Cal has not lost to a non-conference team at home since 2000. The Golden Bears have won 13 of their last 14 games and 23 of their last 26 since Feb. 23. The win also helped Cal avenge its loss 7-5 loss to Pacific last season in Stockton.

Cal now gears up for conference play and will face the No. 1 team in the nation - Arizona State - on Friday, followed by two games with the No. 10-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Saturday and Sunday. The Pac-10 boasts six teams, including Cal, ranked in the top 25, including four in the top 10.

Sophomore pitcher Marissa Drewrey tossed her seventh shutout of the season against the Tigers, after allowing just one hit and four walks with a pair of strikeouts. It was the 19th win for Drewrey (second-most in the conference), who lowered her ERA to 1.44 (fifth in the conference). Her 19 wins also rank in the top-five in the country.

Freshman Sanoe Kekahuna registered RBI No. 42 (first in the Pac-10, 23rd in the country) and also added a run, while Gina Leomiti went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Erika Racklin had two hits and two runs and Vernae Sevilla had two RBI.

Cal, who has outscored its opponents 88-17 in the first two innings of games this season, wasted little time in scoring by putting up four runs in the first and another four runs in the second stanza. Sevilla punched her second double of the season in the second inning that plated both Kekahuna and Bernice Masaniai to put the Bears up 8-0. Cal added another run in the fourth inning when Lauren Bauer connected for her first double as a Golden Bear to score pinch runner Savannah Hensley.