The Long Beach State softball team (17-9) opened the National Invitational Softball Tournament with a pair of wins Friday afternoon at SJSU Field. The 49ers kicked off the day by defeating host San Jose State, 2-1, in an eight-inning thriller, before downing Vermont, 9-0, in five innings.

In the opener, freshman Taylor Petty improved to 8-1 on the season as she allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine in eight innings of work.

Senior Brianna Goad led the 49er attack with a pair of hits, while junior Ashley Weber drove in the game-winning run. Junior Ashley Levine also tallied a single and an RBI in the win.

The Spartans (9-15) opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the third inning. After retiring the first two batters, Petty gave up a walk to Mallory Bair and Kelli Fangonilo followed with an RBI-double to give SJSU the early 1-0 lead.

LBSU quickly responded as it got on the board in the top of the fourth. Senior Jennifer Griffin walked before stealing second with two outs. Junior Brandy Reyes then drew another free pass before both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Levine then came through with a clutch single to plate Griffin, but Reyes was thrown out trying to score from second on the play to end the inning.

With the game knotted at 1-1, SJSU threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Alissa Murphy drove a one-out pinch-hit double to right field and advanced to third on an error by senior Danielle Linke. Petty was able to get the next batter to pop up and after allowing a walk, she recorded the final out to end the inning with no damage done.

The Beach was able to push the winning run across in the top of the eighth as junior Jodi Nakawatase was placed on second with the international tie breaker rule in effect. Linke advanced her to third on a sacrifice bunt and then Weber delivered a base-hit to left center to bring Nakawatase home. Petty stepped up in the bottom half of the inning, striking out the first two batters she faced before getting Ursula Lopez to ground out, ending the game.

Long Beach State 9, Vermont 0
Long Beach State saw its bats come alive in the second game of the day as it erupted for nine hits in a 9-0, five-inning victory over Vermont (1-12).

Sophomore Brooke Turner (9-4) earned her 21st career shutout, moving into a tie for eighth place on the 49er career charts. Turner allowed just one hit in the first inning and finished with seven strikeouts.

Danielle Linke (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Jennifer Griffin (1-for-3, 3RBI) both homered, while Ashley Levine went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Ashley Weber also had a pair of hits.

The Beach jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Linke was responsible for the first run of the game as she led off with her fourth long ball of the season. Weber followed with a double and Griffin walked before Vermont recorded the first two outs. Senior Jonae Perez was able to keep the rally going, however, drawing a free pass to set up a two-RBI single by Levine.

The 49ers added another run in the fourth as sophomore Casey Burba and Linke opened the inning with back-to-back singles before Weber walked to load the bases. Griffin then reached on a fielder’s choice, allowing Burba to cross the plate.

Long Beach State pushed five runs across in the bottom of the fifth to end the game with the eight-run rule in effect. The big inning was highlighted by Griffin’s two-run blast, marking her team-leading fifth homer of the year.

LBSU continues action at the NIST with another twin bill on Saturday. The 49ers will take on UNLV at 9:15 a.m. (PDT) before battling Sacramento State at 3:15 p.m.(PDT).

From LBSU Reports