With 20 hits and two more solid pitching performances, the 18th-ranked Seattle University softball team defeated Sonoma State, 7-2, and Saint Martin’s, 5-0, Friday at the Clarion Hotel Central Washington Invitational, setting a school record by extending its winning streak to ten games.
The first game of the day did not start well for pitcher Erin Martin (, ), as she gave up a double in the first inning and then was called for two illegal pitches to allow the runner to score. Martin gave up a leadoff home run in the second inning, but then settled down, allowing only five hits the rest of the way.
started its comeback in the third inning, as Katie Petersen (, ) singled, advanced to second on a ground out, and scored on a double by Jane Purdy (). The Redhawks took the lead in the fourth inning when Petersen singled to score Jaime Foote (). With the bases loaded, Purdy hit a grounder to shortstop that scored Cassie Cueto () to give SeattleU a 3-2 lead.
The game opened up in the fifth inning, as Heather Hansen () led off with a walk. Pinch runner Katie Antich (, ) stole second and scored on a error, followed by a double from Jessica Amador () that scored Foote. Petersen drove in Amador with a single, and Megan MacIsaac () finished the scoring with an RBI single that plated Cueto.
The story of SeattleU’s second game of the day was Kelsey Reynolds (), who notched her fourth shutout in five games. She didn’t give up a hit until there were two outs in the sixth inning and has now given up only one run and 20 hits in 33 innings of work so far this season.
Offensively the Redhawks did their damage in the first three innings, starting with a leadoff walk drawn by Petersen, who scored on a single by Purdy. Although Lauren Berin (Lacey, ) was thrown out attempting to steal second, Purdy was able to score on the play to give SeattleU a 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Petersen drew a bases-loaded walk to score Foote, and then Antich hit a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Lauren Carlson (). Carlson gave her hometown fans another reason to cheer in the third inning, driving in Kaha Weir () with an infield single.
Petersen finished the day 4-for-4 with two runs scored, two runs batted in, and two walks. Berin went 3-for-4 with two walks, while Purdy continued her hot hitting with a 3-for-7 day with three runs batted in. Amador earned two hits in the game against (6-7), and Weir and Carlson each picked up two hits against ’s (6-9).
(10-0) faces its toughest day of the tournament Saturday, first taking on host school Central Washington at 8:30 a.m. SeattleU will then take on , the other team that has gone undefeated so far in the invitational, Saturday afternoon at 4:45 p.m.