Feb. 20, 2011
Final Stats
SAN DIEGO - Roughly 40 hours after the teams had left the field in a 0-0 tie on Friday afternoon, the No. 15 California softball team knocked off No. 8 Missouri, 1-0, on Sunday morning and then defeated UC Santa Barbara, 2-1, shortly thereafter.
The Golden Bears were slated to play five games over the weekend at the San Diego Classic, but inclement weather - a phrase softball student-athletes and fans alike detest - finally forced the calling of Friday's weekend-opening game versus Missouri in the sixth inning after rain had caused several interruptions.
The precipitation prevented participation in Friday's second schedule game versus UC Davis as well as the Saturday slate of San Diego and UCSB and Sunday's scheduled game versus Howard. Instead, the Bears got two complete games, both wins, over Missouri and UCSB on Sunday.
Jolene Henderson got the two complete-game wins, thought that first game was spread across several days. Britt Vonk, Lindsey Ziegenhirt and Frani Echavarria earned the RBI for the Bears' three runs.
Missouri recap:
In Friday's game, Jolene Henderson and Chelsea Thomas had been locked in a traditional pitcher's duel with Henderson allowing one hit and Thomas two through six innings.
The Bears and Tigers got right to work on Sunday morning, restarted the game in the sixth with no outs, Elia Reid on second and Jamia Reid at bat with a 1-2 count. Elia Reid earned her trip to second with a single to third and stealing second on Friday.
On Sunday, Jamia Reid swung on the first pitch, but luckily for her, the catcher dropped it and Reid reached first safely with her speedy legs while Elia Reid moved to third. The umpires held a blue conference to confirm that the ball has passed or if Jamia Reid had gotten a bat on it, but the passed pall call stood. Removing the force, Jamia Reid stole second, giving Cal runners at third and second for Britt Vonk.
Vonk hit the ball to second, where it was slightly bobbled, but did not beat the ball. Elia Reid was on her horse, headed for home, which she reached safely for Cal's sole run of the game, courtesy Britt Vonk. Thomas got Jordan Wallace and Jace Williams swinging to end the inning, but the damage had been done.
Down 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Missouri got one hit but left two stranded and the Tigers' deficit stood. In the seventh, the Bears got two on but they stayed on the bases. It was three up, three down for the Tigers in their bottom of the seventh last-ditch effort and the Bears earned their first upset of the year.
UC Santa Barbara recap:
The Bears tallied the first hit of the first three innings with Henderson holding the Gauchos hitless. In the top of the fourth, the Bears did their real damage. Jamia Reid singled and Vonk walked to start things off.
A pair of fielder's choices - Jordan Wallace and Jace Wiliams - left Jamia Reid out at home but Vonk at third. Lindsey Ziegenhirt flied out to left in a sacrifice that scored Vonk. Frani Echavarria singled up the middle while Williams was thrown out at home but Wallace arrived safely to give the Bears the two-run cushion.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Gauchos scored one run off one hit and one error, leaving three stranded. UCSB got the bases loaded with a fielder's choice, an error at short and a single to third. A 13-pitch at bat for Pilpil resulted in an RBI walk, giving the Gauchos their first and only run of the game.
