RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Utah State softball (4-4, 0-0 MW) split a pair of games on the second day of the Cal Baptist Classic Saturday in Riverside, defeating CSU Bakersfield 9-0 in five innings, then falling to tournament host California Baptist 7-6 in a nine-inning thriller.
In the first game of the afternoon, the Aggies dominated with hot bats, ending the game early. Utah State earned its first three runs in the second inning as senior outfielder Ali Ashner's single to left field took sophomore outfielder Kya Pratt home. Junior outfielder Brooklyn Pritchett made it home via junior Claudia Medina's bunt, and Ashner followed with a run of her own thanks to junior infielder Ariel Fifita's flyout RBI. In the third inning, sophomore infielder Alex Bunton reached home on a throwing error. The Aggies scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth with two hits and one error to put away the Roadrunners.
Senior Jessica Stewart pitched a complete game against the Roadrunners, earning the shutout and her first win of the season. Stewart threw five strikeouts and allowed just three hits in the victory.
Against the Lancers, the Aggies played an extra-innings thriller which featured four ties and three extra-inning runs. Cal Baptist opened the scoring with a run in the second inning. Utah State answered with a double from sophomore outfielder Jaden Colunga which sent Bunton and Fifita home. Junior infielder Giselle Gonzalez hit a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth to improve to a 3-1 lead. The Lancers answered in the bottom of the fifth with two runs to even the scoreboard. Utah State earned two more runs in the sixth inning as freshman infielder Emerson Meggers reached home on a throwing error and Ashner ran in on a Medina single. Cal Baptist evened the score in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings where each team scored in the eighth, and then the Lancers ended it with a single to left field.
On the mound, three Aggie pitchers combined for seven strikeouts and 15 hits in the loss. Sophomore Tess Bumiller started and pitched the first four innings, before being replaced by redshirt sophomore Denay Smith in the fifth. Smith pitched 3.1 innings, before Stewart entered in relief and took the USU the rest of the way.
Up Next
Utah State (4-4, 0-0 MW) concludes its competition in the Cal Baptist Classic tomorrow as the Aggies face Weber State at 11 a.m. (MT).
For more information on the Utah State softball program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUSoftball, on Facebook at USUSoftball and on Instagram at ususoftball.
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