April 24, 2010
Final Stats
BERKELEY - The No. 17/13 California softball team exploded for eight runs in the second inning to notch one of the biggest upsets in program history with the 9-1 five-inning win over No. 1 Washington on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears (34-12 overall/5-6 in the Pac-10 Conference) earned their first upset of a top-ranked team since 2003 with Saturday's run-rule victory over the defending national champions Huskies (36-5/8-3 Pac-10) to even the series with one win apiece.
With Cal holding a 5-1 lead, freshman catcher Lindsey Ziegenhirt hit a three-run double to push the Bears to victory. Junior hurler Valerie Arioto pitched a six-hit five-inning gem to move to 16-6 overall, striking out five batters. Ziegenhirt paced the Bears with three RBI while Arioto had two of her own.
Saturday's game marked the first time that the Huskies had been mercied since April 11, 2009, when they lost to UCLA, 10-0 in five innings. The series victor will be decided in Sunday afternoon's rubber match at noon at Levine-Fricke Field.
Just like in Friday's game, the Huskies had a game-beginning hit, this one from Jenn Salling, who singled to right field. Kimi Pohlman followed it up with a hit of her own to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Valerie Arioto got Niki Williams and Danielle Lawrie, who was in at the designated player position, on a swinging strike outs. With Salling at third and Pohlman at second, Shawna Wright singled, plating Pohlman, but centerfielder Frani Echavarria threw home to freshman catcher Lindsey Ziegenhirt, who handily applied the tag to Salling at the plate.
With the Huskies holding the 1-0 lead heading into the top of the first, the Bears reacted right away. After Jamia Reid and Shannon Thomas grounded out, Arioto hit her 14th homer of the season to even the score at 1-1.
The Bears and Arioto sent the UW side down in order in the top of the second with two ground outs - Hooch Fagaly and Morgan Stuart - and a swinging strikeout (Amanda Fleischman).
Jace Williams, who started at designated player and moved to third in the top of the fourth, earned a lead-off walk to begin the bottom of the second. Echavarria laid down a perfect bunt to move Williams to second. With a 3-2 count, senior shortstop Taylor Kelly walked on a wild pitch, which allowed Williams to move to third. Kelly stole second in the midst of freshman first baseman Jolene Henderson's at bat.
Henderson connected for a bloop single, which neither the pitcher nor the first baseman nor the second baseman could get to, plating Williams and moving Kelly to third. With just one out, Elia Reid dropped a single into no man's territory in shallow right field, scoring Kelly and advanced Henderson to second.
Back at the top of the order, Jamia Reid had a dribbler up the middle, and by the time that Harris got to it, Henderson went to third, Elia Reid was at second and Jamia Reid was aboard at first with a single. Shannon Thomas, who leads the team in sacrifice hits, took a powerful hack and sent the first pitch she saw from Harris into center field for an RBI single, plating Henderson.
With Houston at first, Jamia Reid at second, Elia Reid at third, Arioto stepped up to the dish. Despite connecting for three long and high foul balls, it was Arioto's eye that was the key to her at bat. Arioto earned a walk, her 58th of the season, to force in Elia Reid and bring the score to 5-1 with still only one out.
Behind in the count, 0-2, Ziegenhirt had a bases-clearing double to distance the Bears, 8-1. A timely sacrifice bunt by Williams moved Ziegenhirt to third. Echavarria continued the hit barrage with a single to left field, which plated Ziegenhirt. Echavarria was too hungry and went for third, but left fielder Niki Williams threw to Morgan Stuart at third, where Echavarria was not fast enough to beat the tag, and the second inning ended with Cal commanding a 9-1 lead.
Arioto hit Fa'asua to open the third and looked to advance to third when Salling had a single into center field. Echavarria again demonstrated her throwing prowess, hurling the ball from her territory in center to Verane Sevilla at third to get the advancing Fa'asua out on the throw, which allowed Salling to move to second.
Pohlman singled to center, advancing Salling to third. Niki Williams was then called out on batter's interference. Arioto got the last out of the inning, but not on a pitch. Pohlman attempted to steal second when Ziegenhirt threw the ball back to Arioto, who got it to Taylor Kelly at second to tag out the advancing Pohlman.
In the bottom of the third, Taylor Kelly was inches away from a home run when she sent one flying into left field, but Williams was there to make the catch at the wall. Fleischman made an exemplary catch in center on a Henderson line drive. Elia Reid registered the first hit of the third for the Bears, knocking the ball through the left side for a single.
Jamia Reid followed up with a bunt single to put runners at first and second with two away. Thomas ended the inning when a bunt went awry, popping up to Stuart at third.
In the top of the fourth, Lawrie resumed her at bat that Pohlman's caught stealing interrupted. Arioto got Lawrie on a swinging strike out for the second time in the game. Wright tallied a single through the right side and was replaced by Maggie Wagner as a pinch runner.
A 6-3 ground out by Fagaly put another out on the board and moved Wagner to second. Arioto ended the top of the fourth in the same manner in which she begun it with a swinging strikeout, the later issued to Stuart.
Arioto led off the bottom of the fourth with a single into center field. After Harris got Ziegenhirt on a swinging strikeout, Jace Williams fired a shot right at Harris for a single. Echavarria grounded out to short, but it advanced Arioto to third and Williams to second with two away. Harris got the final say on the inning, handing out a swinging strikeout to Taylor Kelly.
Henderson fielded the first ground ball of the top of the fifth, and tossed it to Thomas, who was covering first to get Fleischman out. Elia Reid made a highlight-reel worthy over-the-shoulder catch inches away from the foul line to prevent a long single by Fa'asua. With her non-glove hand placed over the ball, Reid leapt off the wall to ensure she held onto the catch to get the second out of the inning.
Salling hit a bobbler at Henderson at first, but Henderson kept her cool and maintained possession to get the unassisted out and end the game.
The rubber match begins Sunday at noon at Levine-Fricke Field. Following the game, fans can meet the Bears and get autographs.
