Friday, April 22
Northridge, Calif.
12:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
16-27, 6-10
1
vs
11
UC Riverside
17-21, 8-8
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
UC Riverside
0
1
1
4
0
5
11
11
0
CSUN
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
3
Photo by: © Will Navarro
Matadors Rally to Split Doubleheader With UC Riverside
4/22/2022 5:35:00 PM | Softball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN battled back in game two to split a Big West softball doubleheader against UC Riverside Friday afternoon at Matador Diamond.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
GAME 1
UC Riverside defeated CSUN 11-1 in six innings in the opener. The Highlanders took the lead in the top of the second on Ally Troche's one-out RBI single. A two-out CSUN error in the top of the third resulted in UC Riverside scoring their second run.
The Matadors' second error of the game occurred in the top of the fourth. The Highlanders took advantage as Haylee Kela hit an opposite-field grand slam home run to right with two outs to make it 6-0.
Chrys Hildebrand issued a leadoff walk to Alexis Lemus in the first before retiring the next 13 in a row. She faced the minimum through four innings thanks to a double play in the first. She retired the first two batters of the CSUN fifth before hitting Vinessa Nunez with a pitch. Mia Stankiewicz broke up the no-hit bid with a double that drove in Nunez.
The Highlanders scored five times in the top of the sixth. Kela's fifth and sixth RBI of the game highlighted the rally.
Hildebrand allowed the one hit to Stankiewicz. She struck out seven, walked one, and faced only two above the minimum for the game. Marissa Burk and Troche both recorded three hits. Kela was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
GAME 2
CSUN scored six runs over the final three innings, capped off by a Lemus' walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Highlanders 6-5 in the nightcap.
UC Riverside took advantage of a CSUN error in the top of the first to score three runs. The opening tally came in on the error. Then, a Jantzen Owen single drove in the remaining runs.
Stankiewicz walked to open the Matadors' fifth. Sami Garcia followed with a single. Both runners moved up a base on Nunez's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Mikayla Carman's single to short right field drove in both Stankiewicz and pinch-runner Alexa Landeros to cut the UCR lead to 3-2.
Gigi Araki and Owen recorded back-to-back singles with one out at the sixth's top. Troche hit a hot shot to Stankiewicz at second. The Matador second baseman knocked the ball down for an infield single, allowing Araki to score. A Taylor Burdette sac bunt advanced the runners. Owen scored on a passed ball for a 5-2 score. Nadia Witt grounded out to end the frame.
Jaymi Steward led off the CSUN sixth with an infield single. Kennedi Sorensen doubled as Steward scored from first. Kaylee Escutia followed with a single that drove in pinch-runner Ariel Gomez. Escutia attempted to take second on the throw and was awarded the base on interference. Stankiewicz's sacrifice bunt pushed Escutia to third.
UCR went to the bullpen as Briza Blanco relieved the starter, Katie Barbarick, to face Landeros. With the infield in, Landeros hit a grounder to Burk at short. Her throw home was high, allowing Escutia to score the tying run. UCR got out of the inning when Nunez hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Carman's hit to third went off Troche's glove and then went into center, allowing Carman to stretch the play into a double, setting the stage for Lemus' game winning run.
THE GAME WINNING RUN
Carman went 2-for-3 with the two RBI to pace the Matadors. Owen was 3-for-3 while Troche went 2-for-3 for the Highlanders. Alexis Martinez threw the first 5.1 innings for CSUN, allowing only one earned run before giving way to Allie Gardiner. Gardiner improved to 6-3 on the year. She allowed two hits and an unearned run over the final 1.2 innings.
NOTES
CSUN leads the all-time series against UC Riverside 95-16…the 11 runs the Highlanders scored in the first game was the most UCR has scored in a game in the all-time series…UCR has won six of the past 11 against the Matadors dating back to the 2018 season…Carman's two-hit performance in game two was her seventh multi-hit game and second multi-RBI game of the year.
UP NEXT
The Matadors (17-27, 7-10 Big West) and UC Riverside (17-22, 8-9 Big West) conclude the series Saturday. ESPN+ coverage with Ghizal Hasan on the call. It will be Alumni Day for the CSUN program, with nearly 40 former players scheduled to attend. Debbie Torgeson, the wife of the late former CSUN head coach Gary Torgeson, will throw out the first pitch.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
GAME 1
UC Riverside defeated CSUN 11-1 in six innings in the opener. The Highlanders took the lead in the top of the second on Ally Troche's one-out RBI single. A two-out CSUN error in the top of the third resulted in UC Riverside scoring their second run.
The Matadors' second error of the game occurred in the top of the fourth. The Highlanders took advantage as Haylee Kela hit an opposite-field grand slam home run to right with two outs to make it 6-0.
Chrys Hildebrand issued a leadoff walk to Alexis Lemus in the first before retiring the next 13 in a row. She faced the minimum through four innings thanks to a double play in the first. She retired the first two batters of the CSUN fifth before hitting Vinessa Nunez with a pitch. Mia Stankiewicz broke up the no-hit bid with a double that drove in Nunez.
The Highlanders scored five times in the top of the sixth. Kela's fifth and sixth RBI of the game highlighted the rally.
Hildebrand allowed the one hit to Stankiewicz. She struck out seven, walked one, and faced only two above the minimum for the game. Marissa Burk and Troche both recorded three hits. Kela was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
GAME 2
CSUN scored six runs over the final three innings, capped off by a Lemus' walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Highlanders 6-5 in the nightcap.
UC Riverside took advantage of a CSUN error in the top of the first to score three runs. The opening tally came in on the error. Then, a Jantzen Owen single drove in the remaining runs.
Stankiewicz walked to open the Matadors' fifth. Sami Garcia followed with a single. Both runners moved up a base on Nunez's sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Mikayla Carman's single to short right field drove in both Stankiewicz and pinch-runner Alexa Landeros to cut the UCR lead to 3-2.
Gigi Araki and Owen recorded back-to-back singles with one out at the sixth's top. Troche hit a hot shot to Stankiewicz at second. The Matador second baseman knocked the ball down for an infield single, allowing Araki to score. A Taylor Burdette sac bunt advanced the runners. Owen scored on a passed ball for a 5-2 score. Nadia Witt grounded out to end the frame.
Jaymi Steward led off the CSUN sixth with an infield single. Kennedi Sorensen doubled as Steward scored from first. Kaylee Escutia followed with a single that drove in pinch-runner Ariel Gomez. Escutia attempted to take second on the throw and was awarded the base on interference. Stankiewicz's sacrifice bunt pushed Escutia to third.
UCR went to the bullpen as Briza Blanco relieved the starter, Katie Barbarick, to face Landeros. With the infield in, Landeros hit a grounder to Burk at short. Her throw home was high, allowing Escutia to score the tying run. UCR got out of the inning when Nunez hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Carman's hit to third went off Troche's glove and then went into center, allowing Carman to stretch the play into a double, setting the stage for Lemus' game winning run.
THE GAME WINNING RUN
Carman went 2-for-3 with the two RBI to pace the Matadors. Owen was 3-for-3 while Troche went 2-for-3 for the Highlanders. Alexis Martinez threw the first 5.1 innings for CSUN, allowing only one earned run before giving way to Allie Gardiner. Gardiner improved to 6-3 on the year. She allowed two hits and an unearned run over the final 1.2 innings.
NOTES
CSUN leads the all-time series against UC Riverside 95-16…the 11 runs the Highlanders scored in the first game was the most UCR has scored in a game in the all-time series…UCR has won six of the past 11 against the Matadors dating back to the 2018 season…Carman's two-hit performance in game two was her seventh multi-hit game and second multi-RBI game of the year.
UP NEXT
The Matadors (17-27, 7-10 Big West) and UC Riverside (17-22, 8-9 Big West) conclude the series Saturday. ESPN+ coverage with Ghizal Hasan on the call. It will be Alumni Day for the CSUN program, with nearly 40 former players scheduled to attend. Debbie Torgeson, the wife of the late former CSUN head coach Gary Torgeson, will throw out the first pitch.
~#UniteTheValley~
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hildebrand, Chrys (9-8)
L: Jamerson, Kenedee (4-14)
Batting:
2B: Garewal, Lauryn 1 ; Burk, Marissa 1 ; Troche, Ally 1
HR: Kela, Haylee 1
RBI: Kela, Haylee 6 ; Araki, Gigi 1 ; Troche, Ally 3
SH: Burdette, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Garewal, Lauryn 2 ; Kela, Haylee 2 ; Burk, Marissa 2 ; Araki, Gigi 2 ; Burdette, Taylor 1 ; Witt, Nadia 2
HBP: Ortega, Max 1 ; Araki, Gigi 1 ; Witt, Nadia 1
Batting:
2B: Stankiewicz, Mia 1
RBI: Stankiewicz, Mia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nunez, Vinessa 1
HBP: Nunez, Vinessa 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
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