Riverside, California – Utah State softball (7-3, 0-0 MW) finished out its stay at the Cal Baptist Classic on Sunday afternoon with a 7-3 win over tournament-host California Baptist at John C. Funk Stadium. 
 
The Aggies broke open the scoring in the third inning, loading the bases for senior infielder Giselle Gonzalez who sent a single into left center to bring home senior infielder Ariel Fifita and senior outfielder Olivia Marble for the game's first runs. Junior outfielder Kya Pratt extended the lead for USU, beating out the throw on an infield single and allowing junior infielder Grace Matej to reach home plate to make it 3-0.
 
CBU answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third inning but were largely kept quiet at the plate as junior pitcher Rylie Pindel limited the Lancers to four or fewer plate appearances in three of the game's first four innings.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Gonzalez again came through to grow Utah State's lead, this time clearing the outfield fence in left center for a two-run homer with Matej also scoring on the play. Gonzalez's day still did not end there as the product of San Diego, California, shot a double down the left field line in the top of the sixth inning, plating sophomore outfielder Tatum Silva to make it 6-3 for Utah State.
 
After Pindel retired the side in the bottom of the sixth, her third 1-2-3 inning of the contest, USU loaded the bases again in the top of the seventh inning before junior infielder Alex Bunton scored on a ground out to give the Aggies an extra insurance run. In the bottom half, Pindel closed out the complete game to secure the victory.
 
Pindel needed only 109 pitches to get through all 7.0 innings and faced only 31 batters. She finished with a line of two earned runs allowed on six hits with three strikeouts and only two walks. At the plate, Gonzalez led the Aggies with a 3-for-4 showing with one home run, one double and five runs batted in. Bunton stole the lone base for USU in the game, her first stolen base of the season.
 
As a team, Utah State finished with eight hits, including two doubles and one home run. The Aggies also drew nine walks in the contest, their most since recording 11 at Montana in February of 2023.
 
Up Next
Utah State (7-3, 0-0 MW) returns to the Beehive State for the first time this season to take part in the Utah Tech Tournament on Friday through Sunday, Feb. 21-23, in St. George, Utah. The Aggies face a five-game slate against five opponents in UC San Diego, Weber State, San Diego, Idaho State and tournament-host Utah Tech.
 
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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