TURLOCK, Calif. -- Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) broke the Ashlee Trotter's career hits record on a day when the Otters split a pair of games to close play at the 2015 Tournament of Champions presented by the Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Reinhardt's record-breaker came in the form of a 2-out-2 run single against St. Martin's University. She finished Sunday's action 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs.
The Otters opened play by rallying from a 5-1 deficit with an 7-run sixth inning to defeat Hawaii Pacific 9-5. But a controversial missed called and a late rally helped St. Martin's pull out a 6-5 victory in the Silver Bracket championship game.
Reinhardt was the victim of some hard luck in the circle against HPU as the Sharks dinked and dunked their way to a 5-1 lead through four innings. But
Lindsey Clarkson (Fresno/Central) came in to shut the door, tossing 3 1/3 innings of no-hit relief to give the Otter offense a chance to fin its footing.
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Nicole Pires (Ontario/Colony HS) solo shot leading off the bottom of the fifth got the ball rolling, but things really clicked in the sixth, when CSUMB took a page from the HPU playbook. Four walks and a hit batter greased the wheels as the Otters added an infield single by Pires and a blooper from pinch hitter
Jenae Coleman (Castaic/Hart HS) and ground ball singles from
Alissa Greenhaw (Galt/Cosumnes River College) and
Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS) kept the 7-run outburst rolling.
Reinhardt opened the scoring versus St. Martin's with her record-setting hit to stake CSUMB to a 2-0 lead in the second. The Saints responded with a 4-run third inning, the final run coming on the aforementioned missed call.
With the bases loaded and one out, SMU's Alyssa Slate popped up to shallow left. Reinhardt made a fine over the shoulder catch on the play. Unsure whether or not the ball would be caught, Dani Wall danced off third base but never tagged up before scoring ahead of Reinhardt's throw home.
CSUMB immediately threw to third base, but the home plate umpire, who was responsible for third base on the play, either was deked by Wall's uncertainty or simply missed the fact that she failed to tag up, allowing the run to score.
The Otter offense nearly made the call irrelevant when, after the Saints intentionally walked Reinhardt to load the bases in the fourth, Noriega cleared the bases with a double off the fence in left.
SMU retook the lead with a single and a sac fly in the top of the sixth and then held the Otters scoreless for the final three innings to earn the win.
CSUMB (30-8 overall) finished 5-2 in tournament play. For their efforts, Reinhardt and Clarkson earned spots on the all-tournament team.
CSUMB returns to CCAA play next weekend with a first place showdown versus Sonoma State at the Otter Sports Complex. The teams will play doubleheaders Apr. 3-4.
GO OTTERS!
