Reports From LBSU
Junior Liz Javier had the game-winning RBI as the Long Beach State softball team came from behind to defeat Kansas, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon at the 49er Softball Complex.
The Beach has now won six of its last seven games, improving to 11-12 on the season.
Sophomore Taylor Petty (5-7) was credited with the win, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings of relief. Petty scattered five hits, while striking out six. Junior Brooke Turner had earned the start, giving up three runs on one hit and two walks.
Freshmen Nalani St. Germain and Caitrin DeBaun, and seniors Ashley Weber and Brandy Reyes all made their way into the hit column for LBSU. Junior Christina Schallig also accounted for two of the 49ers’ four runs.
Kansas (11-13) took an early 3-0 lead, scoring all of its runs in the first inning. Alex Jones drew a leadoff walk before Rosie Hull reached on an infield single. Both Jones and Hull made their way around to score on illegal pitches and Amanda Jobe eventually put the Jayhawks up by three with an RBI double.
Long Beach State dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the second as Schallig opened with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After moving up 60 feet on a DeBaun grounder, Schallig crossed the plate on a Jayhawk error.
The 49ers tacked on two more in the third to tie the game at 3-3. St. Germain led off with a single through the right side before Weber reached on an infield hit. A sacrifice bunt by Javier moved both runners up a base, but on the next play, St. Germain was thrown out at home on a ground ball back to the pitcher. With runners on second and third, Reyes hit a shot off the glove of Kansas hurler Allie Clark to plate Weber, before DeBaun drove in the tying run with a single up the middle.
The Beach pushed the game-winner across with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Bridgette Pagano struck out swinging but reached on a dropped third strike. St. Germain followed with a walk and Weber advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Javier then recorded the walk-off RBI with a ground ball to the right side, allowing Pagano to score from third.
Long Beach State returns to action this weekend when it heads south to close out its preseason tournament schedule at the San Diego Classic II, March 19-21. The Beach is slated to take on Texas A&M in its opener at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.