The 13th-ranked Seattle University softball team dominated Chico State in winning its first game of the day, 5-0, but key mistakes in the team’s second game allowed San Francisco State to earn a 7-2 victory on the second day of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions Saturday at Pedretti Park.
In the morning game against , jumped on top in the first inning, loading the bases on a wild pitch off a swinging third strike, a fielding error, and a single. Heather Hansen (, ) laced a single to left field to score Katie Antich () and give SeattleU a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Cassie Cueto () drew a leadoff walk, followed by a double by Antich. After a wild pitch scored Cueto and Megan MacIsaac (Santa Barbara, Calif.) was hit by a pitch, Lauren Berin (Lacey, Wash.) hit her third home run of the season to increase SeattleU’s lead to 5-0.
Erin Martin () faced just one more batter than the minimum, allowing two hits while striking out five batters in picking up her 13th victory of the season. Antich and Hansen each finished with two hits for SeattleU, who earned ten hits as a team but left ten runners on base during the game.
Against , SeattleU scored in the top of the second inning as Jane Purdy (, ) walked and Brenda Stice () singled. After both runners moved up on a groundout, Jessica Amador () sent a shot up the third base line that the Gator third baseman could not handle, allowing Purdy to score. However, the Gators scored single runs in their half of the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead.
would tie the game in the fifth inning thanks to a leadoff home run by Cueto, her first of the season. In the bottom of the fifth inning, a two-run double by Kelsey Wood gave the lead for good, and a dropped pop fly allowed two more Gator runs. would score one more run in the sixth, and Gator pitcher Ashley Jackson held off to earn the victory.
Martin took the loss in the afternoon game, giving up 12 hits and seven runs, four of them earned runs, as her record fell to 13-2. The Redhawks stranded nine runners on base against the Gators and struck out seven times against .
(21-6) finishes pool play with a 2-3 record, including one shutout. The Redhawks placed second in Pool D, good enough to qualify for the Gold Bracket, where they will face Pool A winner Cal State Monterey Bay Sunday at 11:15 a.m.