The Long Beach State softball team (24-16, 5-3 BWC) dropped a pair of one-run games to No. 25 Cal Poly (27-9, 6-2 BWC) Friday afternoon at Bob Janssen Field. The 49ers fell 1-0 and 2-1 in the Big West doubleheader.
Sophomore Brooke Turner (13-8) suffered her first conference loss in her one-plus year career at The Beach as she came out on the wrong end of a pitchers’ duel. Turner allowed just one run on four hits, but Cal Poly’s Anna Cahn was able to top that performance, scattering five hits while holding the 49ers scoreless.
Despite putting runners on base in each of the first five innings, LBSU was unable to dent the scoreboard as it stranded six. Senior Jennifer Griffin led the offense with a pair of singles.
After three and a half scoreless innings, the Mustangs tallied the lone run of the game when Krysten Cary led off the bottom of the fourth by driving a 2-2 pitch from Turner over the center field fence. It was Cary’s league-leading 12th home run of the season.
Long Beach State’s best chance to score came in the third frame when it had runners on the corners with two outs, but Cahn was able to get senior Danielle Linke to ground out, ending the threat.
In the back end of the doubleheader, The Beach struck first as senior Brianna Goad crossed the plate in the top of the third. Goad reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score on a Mustang error after Weber singled to left field.
Long Beach State’s 1-0 lead lasted until the fifth inning when Cal Poly scored two unearned runs for the win. Jessica Rogers and Nora Sobczak posted back-to-back singles before Cristen Lee followed with a hit to right field where Linke mishandled the ball, allowing Rogers to score. Stephanie Tam then brought in the game-winner with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Freshman Taylor Petty (10-4) pitched six strong innings, giving up two unearned runs on five hits and three 49er errors. Petty finished with a pair of strikeouts against no walks.
The Mustangs’ Helen Pena silenced the LBSU bats, giving up just one run on two hits and five walks while striking out six. Weber and Linke were the only two 49ers to find their way into the hit column.
Long Beach State and Cal Poly will close out the three-game series on Saturday, April 11, with a single game at noon (PT).
Report By LBSU