Friday, March 31
Northridge, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
13-14, 5-2
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Long Beach State
16-15, 6-1
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Long Beach State
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CSUN
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Photo by: Will Navarro
CSUN Takes Advantage of Long Beach State Errors to Win Opener
3/31/2023 4:26:00 PM | Softball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN took advantage of three Long Beach State errors as the Matadors defeated the Beach 5-4 to open the Big West softball series Friday afternoon at Matador Diamond.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
Long Beach jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Carly Robbins hit her second home run of the year, a two-run blast with two outs in the top of the first. The Beach increased the lead to three in the fourth when the Beach took advantage of a CSUN error to score an unearned run.
Mikayla Carman led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to left. Kaylee Escutia drove in Carman with a single to get CSUN on the board. Alexis Garcia opened the bottom of the fifth with a single for the Matadors. Bella Mejia ran for Garcia, advancing to second on Sydney Freijanes' second sacrifice bunt of the game. With two outs, Carys Murakami's bunt single pushed Mejia to third before a throwing error by Robbins, the third baseman, allowed Mejia to score.
Murakami stole second before Carman singled to center. Long Beach State centerfielder Lilyanna Martinez attempted to throw out Murakami at home. Murakami scored to tie the game as the ball went off the glove of Beach catcher Teah Thiels, allowing Carman to reach third. Shannon Haddad, the current Big West Pitcher of the Week, struck out Escutia to end the inning.
Allie Gardiner relieved Isabella Alonso to start the Long Beach State sixth. The first batter Gardiner faced; Emily Salazar hit a home run off the left field foul pole to return the lead to the Beach. Gardiner walked a batter before getting a 4-6 fielder's choice out of Cam Cecil before getting Sinclair Lawhorn to ground into a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Maiya Alemania singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth and advanced to third on a Shaylan Whatman double. Pinch hitter Alexa Landeros popped up to Lawhorn at first. Lawhorn attempted to double off Alemania at third, but the throw ended up in left field, allowing both runners to score including what proved to be the game winning run.
Long Beach State threatened in the top of the seventh. Gardiner issued a one-out walk to Jacquelyn Bickar. Sara Olson singled through the right side, moving Bickar up a base. Corissa Sweet hit a grounder back to Gardiner in the circle. Gardiner threw to third to retire Bickar for the second out. On Gardiner's first pitch, Robbins lined to left to end the game.
CSUN outhit the Beach 7-5, with Carman going 2-for-3 to lead the Matadors. Carman scored a run and posted one RBI. Olson and Robbins combined for four of the five Long Beach State hits (two each).
The victory was the Matadors' 1,499th as a program, the 13th most among Division I teams. CSUN (13-14, 5-2) handed Long Beach State its first conference loss (16-15, 6-1) and broke the Beach's overall eight-game winning streak. In addition, the Matadors broke a six-game losing streak to Long Beach State, winning for the first time since 2019.
UP NEXT
CSUN and Long Beach State complete the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Coverage of game one of the doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
Coach Morgan's comments after today's victory over Long Beach State. pic.twitter.com/alnnrVu0za
— CSUN Softball (@CSUNSoftball) March 31, 2023
Long Beach jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Carly Robbins hit her second home run of the year, a two-run blast with two outs in the top of the first. The Beach increased the lead to three in the fourth when the Beach took advantage of a CSUN error to score an unearned run.
Mikayla Carman led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to left. Kaylee Escutia drove in Carman with a single to get CSUN on the board. Alexis Garcia opened the bottom of the fifth with a single for the Matadors. Bella Mejia ran for Garcia, advancing to second on Sydney Freijanes' second sacrifice bunt of the game. With two outs, Carys Murakami's bunt single pushed Mejia to third before a throwing error by Robbins, the third baseman, allowed Mejia to score.
Murakami stole second before Carman singled to center. Long Beach State centerfielder Lilyanna Martinez attempted to throw out Murakami at home. Murakami scored to tie the game as the ball went off the glove of Beach catcher Teah Thiels, allowing Carman to reach third. Shannon Haddad, the current Big West Pitcher of the Week, struck out Escutia to end the inning.
Allie Gardiner relieved Isabella Alonso to start the Long Beach State sixth. The first batter Gardiner faced; Emily Salazar hit a home run off the left field foul pole to return the lead to the Beach. Gardiner walked a batter before getting a 4-6 fielder's choice out of Cam Cecil before getting Sinclair Lawhorn to ground into a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Maiya Alemania singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth and advanced to third on a Shaylan Whatman double. Pinch hitter Alexa Landeros popped up to Lawhorn at first. Lawhorn attempted to double off Alemania at third, but the throw ended up in left field, allowing both runners to score including what proved to be the game winning run.
Long Beach State threatened in the top of the seventh. Gardiner issued a one-out walk to Jacquelyn Bickar. Sara Olson singled through the right side, moving Bickar up a base. Corissa Sweet hit a grounder back to Gardiner in the circle. Gardiner threw to third to retire Bickar for the second out. On Gardiner's first pitch, Robbins lined to left to end the game.
CSUN outhit the Beach 7-5, with Carman going 2-for-3 to lead the Matadors. Carman scored a run and posted one RBI. Olson and Robbins combined for four of the five Long Beach State hits (two each).
The victory was the Matadors' 1,499th as a program, the 13th most among Division I teams. CSUN (13-14, 5-2) handed Long Beach State its first conference loss (16-15, 6-1) and broke the Beach's overall eight-game winning streak. In addition, the Matadors broke a six-game losing streak to Long Beach State, winning for the first time since 2019.
UP NEXT
CSUN and Long Beach State complete the series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Coverage of game one of the doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.
~#UniteTheValley~
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gardiner, Allie (3-2)
L: Haddad, Shannon (7-6)
Batting:
2B: Robbins, Carly 1
HR: Robbins, Carly 1 ; Salazar, Emily 1
RBI: Robbins, Carly 2 ; Salazar, Emily 1 ; Cecil, Cam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Olson, Sara 1 ; Robbins, Carly 2 ; Salazar, Emily 1
Batting:
2B: Carman, Mikayla 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1
RBI: Murakami, Carys 1 ; Carman, Mikayla 1 ; Escutia, Kaylee 1
SH: Freijanes, Sydney 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Murakami, Carys 1 ; Carman, Mikayla 1 ; Alemania, Maiya 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Mejia, Bella 1
SB: Murakami, Carys 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
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