Hope Alley vs. Southern Illinois
Cal Athletics
Hope Alley hit her second career home run in Friday's opening game of the Baton Rouge Regional.
5
Winner Southern Illinois SIU 43-9
4
California CAL 36-18
Winner
Southern Illinois SIU
43-9
5
Final
4
California CAL
36-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Southern Illinois SIU 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0
California CAL 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 8 0

W: M. Groff (30-9) L: Archer, Haylei (11-7)

Game Recap: Softball | | Cal Athletics

Bears Drop Baton Rouge Regional Opener

Hope Alley Homers In Loss To Salukis

BATON ROUGE, La. – Hope Alley hit a 2-run home run but it wasn't enough for the California softball team in a 5-4 defeat against Southern Illinois in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional on Friday afternoon at Tiger Park.

Tatum Anzaldo and Acacia Anders recorded two hits apiece for the Golden Bears (36-18). Maddia Groff picked up her 30th win of the season in the circle for the Salukis (43-9).

The Bears ran into trouble trying to find the strike zone in the second inning on a very humid day in Baton Rouge after an overnight thunderstorm. The SIU frame started with a leadoff base hit, hit by pitch, passed ball and a wild pitch to score a run as Cal went to Ryann Orange out of the bullpen with two runners on.

Three straight walks scored two more runs to make it 3-0, Salukis and Cal went to the bullpen once again in the inning with nobody out for Randi Roelling. The freshman from Modesto did her job, giving up just a pair of RBI sacrifice flies to limit the damage as Southern Illinois led 5-0 heading to the home half.

Cal started to chip away instantly in the answer inning. Anders started the rally with a base hit and Kaylee Pond drove her in to make it 5-1. After a pop out, Hope Alley hit a 2-run blast just over the fence in center, the second of her career, as it was 5-3 heading to the third.

Roelling started to settle in over the middle innings, striking out the side in the third before working out of a jam when the first two batters reached base in the fourth. Cal inched closer in the sixth, making it 5-4 after Mika Lee brought around Anders with an RBI single. Roelling gave Cal a chance in the seventh, keeping the Salukis off the board for the sixth straight inning, going 6.0 innings while allowing no runs on four hits with six strikeouts.

The Bears got the potential game-tying run on base with two outs in the seventh but a strikeout gave Southern Illinois the opening-game victory.

UP NEXT
Cal continues play at the Baton Rouge Regional on Saturday, facing the loser of LSU and Jackson State at 12:30 p.m. PT.

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