May 2, 2010
Final Stats
BERKELEY - Seven errors in six innings of play between the No. 16/13 California softball team and No. 3 Arizona and 10 hits by the Golden Bears resulted in a six-inning, 8-0 victory for Cal on Sunday afternoon at Levine-Fricke Field. With the win, the Bears improve to 36-15 overall and 6-9 in the Pac-10 Conference and avoid the series sweep by the Wildcats (40-8/10-5 in the Pac-10), who won the first two games of the weekend stand.Cal scored twice in the first thanks to two hits and two errors. The Bears added four runs in the bottom of the fifth and Arioto hit a single to score the final two of the game in the sixth.
Arioto pitched the three-hitter, striking out nine batters, five of which were looking. She also led the Bears with three RBI while Jamia Reid, Shannon Thomas and Arioto all had two hits. Arizona committed five errors while Cal had two.
Jamia Reid walked after battling to a full count to start the Bears' end of the first. Shannon Thomas laid down a bunt right in front of the plate and third baseman Brigette Del Ponte came in to field it but did not pick it up to see if it would roll foul. Roll foul, it did not and Thomas was aboard while Reid advanced to third. Thomas stole second in the midst of Valerie Arioto's at bat.
Arizona pitcher Sarah Akamine settled down and struck out Arioto and freshman catcher Lindsey Ziegenhirt. Jamia Reid scored and Thomas moved to third when sophomore third baseman Jace Williams singled to second, where Kristen Arriola bobbled the ball, allowing Thomas to score.
With Cal holding the lead for the first time all weekend, Frani Echavarria got on base when Arriola again bobbled a ball. Akamine got senior shortstop Taylor Kelly swinging to end the inning with the Bears winning, 2-0.
For the Wildcats in the top of the second, it was three up, three down with Arioto issuing three looking strikeouts.
Jamia Reid was Cal's only baserunner in the bottom of the second, and she was left stranded.
After Arioto struck out Arriola, her fourth consecutive looking K of the game, right fielder Karissa Buchanan hit a one-bounce high pop up to Arioto in the circle. Arioto fielded it but since it went so high, she could not make the play and Buchanan was on base with a single. A line out and another looking strikeout closed the third.
Leading off in the bottom of the third, after hitting a foul down the left-field line, Arioto straightened it out ever so slightly and hit a double down the inside of the line. The throw from Brittany Lastrapes in left to Arriola at second went awry and Arioto went for third. Arriola threw to Del Ponte at third, who applied the tag to Arioto, who slid around the base. Ground outs by Ziegenhirt and Williams let the 'Cats face the minimum.
To begin the fourth, after fouling off four pitches on a 1-2 count, Arredondo got on when Kelly struggled to field her ground ball. Arredondo moved to second when Chambers singled to center. Chambers then advanced to second and Arredondo to third thanks to a sacrifice bunt by Del Ponte. Arioto shut down the Wildcats with swinging strikeouts to Koria and Kirker.
In the bottom of the fifth with Cal still leading, 2-0, the team's three fastest student-athletes led off in Elia Reid, Jamia Reid and Shannon Thomas, all of whom reached on hits that did not go further than the circle. With those bases loaded and no outs, Arioto reached on an error at short. Elia Reid scored and all the other players moved over.
An error at second allowed Jamia Reid to score. Frani Echavarria doubled down the left-field line, plating Arioto and Thomas. Echavarria's hit was the final of the inning and Cal took a 6-0 lead into the top of the sixth.
In what would be their final at bats of the game, the Wildcats capitalized on a Kelly error to get Chambers on base. It was of no consequence for the Bears and neither was Del Ponte reaching on a fielder's choice for Arioto struck out pinch hitter Matte Haack to close the inning.
The Bears opened the bottom of the sixth on a high note with freshman first baseman Jolene Henderson had a double to the wall in center field. She moved to third thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Elia Reid. An error, the seventh of the game, allowed Jamia Reid to reach while Henderson stayed at third. Reid stole second, her 43rd of the season. Arioto took the payoff pitch for a single into center field, plating Reid and Henderson and finalizing the victory for the Bears.
Next up, Cal takes to the road with a three-game Pac-10 Conference stand at No. 6/5 UCLA. The Bears and Bruins will battle on Friday, May 7 at 7 p.m. with the tilt on Saturday, May 8 scheduled to being at 6 p.m. The two schools will close out the weekend on Sunday with a noon first pitch. The Southern California branch of the University of California holds a 76-21 all-time program record against Cal. The Bruins won the last meeting between the two squads, 2-1, on March 7, 2009.
