TURLOCK, Calif. --- Cal State Monterey Bay swept its first two games of the Mizuno Tournament of Champions on Friday, beating Dixie State College 10-9 in nine innings and later defeating Grand Canyon University 3-0.
Dixie State (19-16) scored seven runs off CSUMB starter #Angela Cabral# in her 8 2/3 innings of work, but just two of those were earned. The Otters took advantage of three errors by Dixie State in the fifth inning to score six runs on four hits. The two teams combined for 11 errors and Dixie State set a tournament record with seven.
Leading 7-4, Cabral (11-6) was lifted in the seventh after giving up a leadoff double, but #Noemi Torres#, in relief allowed the runner on base to score and two others as well, Cabral re-entered and closed out the inning with the score tied. Both teams scored in the eighth and Dixie scored again in the top of the ninth to lead 9-8. But #Homa Shafii# (2-3, 3RBIs), after knocking in the tying run with a single, scored on an error by the second baseman to win the game.
#Jessica Boyle# (3-6) kept the excitement to minimum in the second game, throwing a complete-game shutout while allowing seven hits against Grand Canyon University (14-14-1). #Alixis Villarin# knocked in two of the runs for the Otters.
CSUMB (21-17 overall) will play Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific on Saturday.
GAME NOTES
By Chris Huerta
Game one for the Otters featurde many record-setting moments, but not in a good way. In a game with 11 errors and in which both teams had more runs than hits, Cal State Monterey Bay was able to finally win the two-hour-and-45-minute game.
After manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first, the Otters allowed Dixie State to score three in the top of the second, helped by two Monterey Bay errors and a two RBI single by Marcella Rollins. The score stayed the same until the bottom of the fourth when the gloves seemed to fall off the Rebels. CSUMB scored six runs after the first seven of eight batters reached base safely thanks to four hits and three errors on Dixie State. Monterey Bay batted around in the inning and looked to be headed for an easy victory. After allowing a run in the fifth to make it 7-4, the Otters moved into the last regulation inning which seemed to kick off a second, very exciting game.
The Rebels led the inning off with a deep double, which caused Otters head coach
Andrea Kenney to pull starter Angela Cabral (8.2IP, 6H, 2ER) for freshman #Noemi Torres# (0.1IP, 2ER). After a run-scoring double and ground out, Dixie State's number-three hitter smashed a homerun to left center to tie the game at 7 and send it into extra frames. Per international tie-breaking rules, in each extra inning the batting team started with a runner on second. The Rebels scored one in the top of the eighth, while the Otters had to wait for freshman Shea Olds (2-3, 2RBI) to drive in the tying, eighth run with two outs. However the suspense wasn't over, not by far.
The Otters nearly prevented the Rebels from scoring their ninth run but shortstop #Alixis Villarin# (2-5, RBI, 2E) committed her second error and allowed a run to score. Monterey then had a runner on third and two outs again when senior rightfielder #Homa Shafii# (2-3, R, 3RBI, BB) got her third RBI to tie the game on a 3-0 count. After a Villarin single, reserve first baseman Easton Henrickson hit a slow grounder to second, which Rebels second baseman Shantae Hunter booted for her second error, allowing Shafii to score the winning run.
Monterey Bay was led on offense by Shafii, Villarin and #Shea Olds#, who each had two hits. CSUMB starter Cabral reentered the game after Torres gave up the lead and took the win, only allowing two earned runs. For the Rebels, their leadoff and number nine hitter each had two hits, while relief pitcher Brittnie Whipple (5.1IP, 4H, 0ER) took the loss, though she did not allow an earned run, but three unearned runs.
The second game for the Otters against Grand Canyon was much more relaxed until the final frame. Monterey Bay scored two runs in the bottom of the third, one on an error scoring Alma Lopez and then an RBI single by Villarin. Villarin would go on to drive in #Casey Kaufman# to make the game 3-0 at the bottom of the fifth. CSUMB starter Jessica Boyle (7IP, 7Ks) allowed the game to become interesting by allowing three straight singles to start the seventh. But Boyle managed to keep her shutout by having a force out at home, a strikeout and a fly out to #Megan Luna# to end the game with the bases loaded.
Offensively, Monterey's top three hitters (Kaufman, Luna, Shafii) each had two hits while cleanup hitter Villarin had two RBIs. For the first two games of the tournament, the Otters have had key contributions from top to bottom of the lineup.
For the tournament, the Otters have scored the second most runs out of 18 teams. CSUMB, which stands second in their pool behind No. 10 nationally ranked UC San Diego, will play the third-ranked regional, 1-2 (in tournament) Hawaii Pacific team and an 0-2 Chaminade team.
For more tournament information please visit http://www.warriorathletics.com/TOC
