Elon Butler and Kaylee Pond at Louisiana Classics
Elon Butler had a 4-hit day in Cal's day two sweep at the Littlewood Classic.
6
Winner California CAL 8-1
5
Virginia Tech VT 6-1-1
Winner
California CAL
8-1
6
Final
5
Virginia Tech VT
6-1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
California CAL 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 4 0
Virginia Tech VT 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 6 1

W: Roelling, Randi (3-1) L: E. Mazzarone (1-1)

2
Illinois State ILS 0-8
5
Winner California CAL 9-1
Illinois State ILS
0-8
2
Final
5
California CAL
9-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Illinois State ILS 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 0
California CAL 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 5 8 2

W: McDade, Ashanti (1-0) L: Meeks, Hannah (0-0)

Game Recap: Softball | | Cal Athletics

Seven Straight

Bears Defeat No. 21 Virginia Tech In Extras, Walk Off Against Illinois State

PHOENIX – The California softball team made it seven straight victories with a 6-5, eight-inning, win over No. 21 Virginia Tech and a 5-2 walk off vs. Illinois State on Saturday at the Littlewood Classic.

The Golden Bears (9-1) used a 4-hit day from Elon Butler and a 3-run homer from Kyndal Todd to record their best start to the season since winning the first 12 games in 2018.

Game 1: Cal 6, No. 21 Virginia Tech 5 (8)
The Bears rallied with two down in the first to take the early lead. Tatum Anzaldo drew a leadoff walk and scored when Acacia Anders doubled to center with two strikes. Butler quickly made it 2-0 with a laser off the wall in left to plate Anders.

Virginia Tech rallied back in the third with four runs on two hits. Starter Haylei Archer battled through the first two Hokie innings, but a single and a walk put two on with one out as Cal went to Randi Roelling out of the bullpen. Another walk loaded the bases and Rachel Castine hit a grand slam to make it 4-2.

Cal quickly had an answer in the fourth to knot things right back up. Anders took a free pass to start the inning and Butler launched a 1-0 pitch off the netting in left field for her fourth homer of the season.

Roelling settled in after the home run, scattering a single and a pair of walks through the end of the fifth. Cal's offense fell silent after the Butler home run, drawing just a pair of walks and a hit by pitch off of starter Lyndsey Grein and reliever Emma Mazzarone through the top of the seventh.

Starting the eighth inning with the International Tiebreaker and Mika Lee on second base, the Bears manufactured a run. Kaylee Pond put down a sacrifice bunt to move Lee to third, and after a groundout Butler doubled down the right field line for her third hit of the game to score Lee. Cal added another run when Butler raced home on a dropped third strike.

Leading 6-4, Roelling got a groundout, RBI sacrifice fly and a pop out to end the game and secure her third win of the season. She went 5.2 innings while allowing just two earned runs.

Game 2: Cal 5, Illinois State 2
Scoreless until the fifth, Cal's bats finally broke out thanks to Tianna Bell. The sophomore crushed her first home run of the season, a blast to left field as Cal took a 1-0 lead.

Anna Reimers was effective for the Bears in the circle, allowing just one hit, a bloop single, until the sixth inning. The Redbirds got their own bats going in that frame using a pair of hits and a couple Cal errors to take a 2-1 advantage.

The lead was short-lived as Pond went opposite field to even the game right back up with a solo shot. Tied 2-2 heading to the seventh, Cal reliever Ashanti McDade set the Illinois State hitters down in order to give the Bears a chance to walk it off in the bottom half.   

The Bears did just that when Todd launched a 2-2 pitch way over the fence in center for her first-career home run.

UP NEXT
Cal finishes the Littlewood Classic on Sunday with an 8 a.m. PT first pitch vs. Memphis at the GCU Softball Stadium.

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