March 14, 2010
Final Stats
BERKELEY - The No. 13 California softball team returned to form after a 2-0 win against UC Davis on Sunday afternoon with an 8-0 shellacking in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader at Levine-Fricke Field. The Bears scored the game-winning run in the second thanks to a Shannon Thomas RBI, but really put the hurt on in the fourth when Lindsey Ziegenhirt had a three-RBI double and Vernae Sevilla had a three-run homer. Cal finished the weekend at its California Tournament with a perfect 3-0 record to move to 19-4 overall.
To begin the second game, Arioto and the Cal defense sent the Aggie order down with a ground out and two strike outs - one swinging and an inning-closing looking. The top of the second went eerily similarly to the first - a lead-off ground out and then two swinging strike outs.
With no score through the first 1.5 innings of play, Taylor Kelly had a two-out single to right center. Jamia Reid then reached on an error at short, which also allowed Kelly to move to second. Next up for the Bears, Shannon Thomas singled to center field to score Kelly from second, giving Cal a 1-0 lead that they would never relinquish.
Things came unraveled for the Aggies but together in a nice, offensive package for the Bears in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman first baseman Jolene Henderson, who had pitched a one-hitter in Sunday's earlier game, led off with a single to center field. Thanks to a Taylor Kelly, who laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt off the first pitch, Henderson moved to second.
Jamia Reid was up next for the Bears, and she could not have had a better at bat. The sophomore outfielder laid down a bunt that fell dead three feet in front of the plate. Neither the Aggie catcher nor the Aggie pitcher nor the Aggie third baseman could get to the ball in time to throw out Reid in time at first thanks in part to her perfectly placed hit and her fast feet.
With Henderson now at third and Reid at first, Cal bunted for the third batter in a row - this time from Shannon Thomas, which loaded the bases with one out for the Bears. Valerie Arioto waited out a seven-pitch at bat for an RBI walk, upping Cal's lead to 2-0.
With the bases still juiced, freshman catcher Lindsey Ziegenhirt stepped up to the plate and after watching a ball go by, she crushed the next pitch from the Aggie pitcher Alex Holmes deep into center field for a three-RBI stand-up double. Following Ziegenhirt's hit, the Aggies replaced starter Holmes with Waldusky, Ziegenhirt moved to third on a wild pitch while Jace Williams earned a walk.
Already holding a 5-0 lead, the Bears were not done working the UCD pitching staff. With Ziegenhirt and third and Williams at first, Vernae Sevilla creamed a pitch over the wall in left center field for a three RBI roundtripper, giving the Bears a key 8-0 lead.
In all, Cal finished the bottom of the fourth with seven runs off five hits and left two runners stranded. It was now up to the Bear defense to prevent any Aggies from crossing the dish in the top of the fifth to finalize the 8-0 mercy victory.
That lead looked slightly precarious when UCD's Marissa Araujo had a lead-off single to left field and then advanced to second on a passed ball. However, the Aggies were no match for the Bears. Arioto got JJ Wagoner with a swinging strike out and Kelly Schulze and Megan Guzman to ground out to end the game.
Both Ziegenhirt and Sevilla had three RBI while Shannon Thomas had a team-high two runs. Arioto notched the win, her 10th of the season, allowing two hits in the shut out. The Bears will play in Honolulu next week for the Chevron Spring Fling.
