April 9, 2004
Final Stats
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Utah State's softball team dropped its first two conference games of the season Friday, as it fell in a doubleheader to Long Beach State by scores of 5-0 and 4-0. Utah State, Long Beach State and Pacific were tied atop the Big West standings heading into Friday's games, all with 3-0 records.
USU is now 7-26 overall and 3-2 in league action, while Long Beach State improved to 35-8 and 5-0.
The story of the afternoon was Long Beach State's Lindsey Knoff. She became just the sixth player in 49er school history to pitch a perfect game as Long Beach blanked the Aggies 4-0 in the second game of the double dip. The perfect game marks the third time this season the Aggies have been no-hit.
The 49ers broke open a scoreless tie (in the second game) in the bottom of the fifth inning with three runs off USU pitcher, Jessica Garnett.
Long Beach then added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning after Jill Bruins walked home LBSU's Arleigh Thorp.
Knoff went 7.0 innings without a hit or walk with three strikeouts for her second no-hitter and first perfect game of the season.
In the first game of the doubleheader, the Aggies fell to Long Beach State, 5-0. The 49ers broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning with four runs off of Higley.
LBSU's Meredith Cervenka collected the win after allowing just four hits in 7.0 innings of work. She also registered five strikeouts. Cervenka has allowed just one run in her last 53.0 innings pitched.
The Aggies finished game one recording four hits, as Michell Vlahos, Sara Fleming, Quela Henderson and Candice Hatch each tallied one hit.
Utah State wraps up its three-game series with Long Beach State, tomorrow, Saturday, at the 49er Softball Complex at 2 p.m. (MST)
Game 1LONG BEACH STATE 5, UTAH STATE 0USU 000 000 0 - 0 4 4LBSU 001 004 x - 5 10 0WP - Cervenka (15-3). LP - Higley (5-11). LOB - USU 2; LBSU 8.
Game 2LONG BEACH STATE 7, UTAH STATE 2USU 000 000 0 - 0 0 0LBSU 000 031 x - 4 3 0WP - Knoff (10-3). LP - Garnett (0-13). LOB - 49ers 5
