TURLOCK — Jockeying for West Regional ranking position, the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors softball team made a statement today — the first day of the Tournament of Champions.
The Warriors, ranked No. 7 in this week’s West Region poll, earned two big victories over regionally ranked teams on Friday dominating Grand Canyon, 12-2, and blanking Dixie State, 6-0. Grand Canyon is No. 6 and Dixie State No. 3 in the region.
Later in the evening, the Warriors completed a 3-0 day with a 4-0 win over Notre Dame de Namur.
Cal State Stanislaus has now won six of last seven games and improved to 22-11.
After blowing out Grand Canyon (29-19) 12-2 to start the day, the Warriors squared off against Dixie State in the afternoon in one of the key match-ups of the weekend. Dixie State is ranked No. 19 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 poll.
Against Dixie State (33-8), Cal State Stanislaus got on the board first in the second inning with a #Britney Borba# single to score Jennifer Arnold who doubled with out one. Stanislaus would scored five runs between innings three and six to put the game away with some timely hitting, as well as capitalizing on Red Storm errors.
Up 2-0, and after chasing DSC starter Lauren Folta, the Warriors got two runs with a RBI double to left-center off the bat of #Meghan Franksen# for a 4-0 lead.
#Alyssa Guzman# then drove in #Kimiko Wright# with a triple and later scored on a balk for the final margin. Borba finished the game 2-for-4 with Franksen and Arnold both doubling.
A key part of the game for the Warriors including limiting Dixie State’s ability to run the bases. Bailie Hicken, perhaps the fastest runner in the tournament, was gunned down trying to steal in the first by catcher #Brittany Balanesi#. Hicken, who was 27-for-32 in steals entering the game, was also cut-down trying to advance from first to second on a fly out to right in the fourth. Hicken was 2-for-3 with an infield hit and a bunt single.
Ashley McFarland had two doubles for Dixie State, but was thrown on on the base paths both times. In the second, McFarland tried to score on a wild pitch but was tagged out at home by Balanesi. McFarland also tried to stretch a double to left into a triple but was out at third on a throw by Wright with Arnold covering.
Arnold went the distance with the five-hit shutout and struck out three to improve to 7-4 on the year.
In the earlier game against Grand Canyon, Franksen and Borba each had two hits and drove in two to lead the 9-hit attack. Franksen hit a two-run homer off the top of the fence in the third to highlight a nine-run inning for Stanislaus. Hailey Torba and Ashlee Genseal also both drove in two scores in the game.
#Jessica Gaumnitz# allowed just two unearned runs on six hits in four innings. She struck out five and walked two.
Gaumnitz picked up her second win of the day, and with reliever Stacey Hains, allowed just one hit to Notre Dame de Namur. Gaumnitz is now 13-5 after striking out eight.
Stanislaus scored all four of its runs in the seventh after picking up just two hits in the first six innings against NDNU’s Brittany Cowart. In the seventh, Borba led off with a walk and three straight singles and two bunts later scored all four runs for the win.
Guzman was 2-for-3 with a triple and #Nikky Rissetto# was 1-for-3 and drove in a run in the nightcap.
SOFTBALL
April 3, 2009
Tournament of Champions presented by Mizuno
Friday’s Results
Western Oregon 2, Hawaii Hilo 1 (9 inn)
Cal State Dominguez Hills 2, Western Washington 0
Cal State San Bernardino 5, Grand Canyon 2
Dixie State 4, Humboldt State 3
UC San Diego 11, Chaminade 1 (5 inn)
Hawaii Hilo 8, Saint Martin’s 6
Cal State Dominguez Hills 6, Western Oregon 2
Cal State Stanislaus 12, Grand Canyon 2 (5 inn)
Dixie State 5, UC San Diego 0
Cal State San Bernardino 9, Chaminade 2
Cal State Monterey Bay 3, Western Washington 0
Humboldt State 8, Hawaii Pacific 3 (9 inn)
Chico State 3, Northwest Nazarene 2
San Francisco State 3, Central Washington 1 (8 inn.)
Notre Dame de Namur 2, Sonoma State 1
Hawaii Pacific 7, Cal State San Bernardino 1
Cal State Stanislaus 6, Dixie State 0
Hawaii Hilo 6, Western Washington 5
Cal State Dominguez Hills 9, Saint Martin’s 1 (5 inn.)
Cal State Stanislaus 4, Notre Dame de Namur 0
Cal State Monterey Bay 4, Central Washington 0
San Francisco State 7, Northwest Nazarene 2
Chico State 9, Saint Martin’s 3
Sonoma State vs. Hawaii Pacific, late
Cal State Monterey Bay vs. Northwest Nazarene, late
Saturday’s Games
Warrior Field
Western Washington vs. San Francisco State, 8:15 a.m.
Western Oregon vs. San Francisco State, 10:15 a.m.
Cal State Monterey Bay vs. Western Oregon, 12:15 p.m.
UC San Diego vs. Hawaii Pacific, 2:15 p.m.
Pedretti Park
Notre Dame de Namur vs. Cal State San Bernardino, 9 a.m.
Central Washington vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills, 9 a.m.
UC San Diego vs. Grand Canyon, 9:15 a.m.
Humboldt State vs. Chaminade, 9:15 a.m.
Cal State Stanislaus vs. Hawaii Pacific, 11:15 a.m.
Central Washington vs. Chico State, 11:15 a.m.
UC San Diego vs. Notre Dame de Namur, 11:30 a.m.
Humboldt State vs. Grand Canyon, 11:30 a.m.
Cal State Stanislaus vs. Chaminade, 1:30 p.m.
Western Washington vs. Chico State, 1:30 p.m.
Cal State San Bernardino vs. Dixie State, 1:45 p.m.
Cal State Dominguez Hills vs. Northwest Nazarene, 1:45 p.m.
San Francisco State vs. Saint Martin’s, 3:45 p.m.
Hawaii Hilo vs. Central Washington, 3:45 p.m.
Humboldt State vs. Notre Dame de Namur, 4 p.m.
Sonoma State vs. Chaminade, 4 p.m.
Cal State Monterey Bay vs. Saint Martin’s, 6 p.m.
Northwest Nazarene vs. Hawaii Hilo, 6 p.m.
Western Oregon vs. Chico State, 6:15 p.m.
Sonoma State vs. Dixie State, 6:15 p.m.
