Bears Claw First ACC Softball Win Away from North Carolina
Led by the arm of sophomore pitcher Kiki Mashhoud, Cal Softball kept pace with the Tar Heels in their first home series in Saratoga, CA
SARATOGA – The California Golden Bears (10-19, 1-5 ACC) put up one hell of a fight against a North Carolina softball team that has been hovering just outside the top-25. Cal entered this weekend’s contest having righted their trajectory with a midweek win against the University of Pacific after being swept by Duke in Sacramento, CA. The North Carolina Tar Heels (21-4, 5-4 ACC) arrived in the bay area almost perfect, having only dropped a conference game to Boston College and two to #16 Virginia.
The Bears and Tar Heels performances to this point in the season have been starkly different. North Carolina has pushed through teams with a dominant offensive attack. Before facing California this past weekend, as a team UNC was sitting at a .400 batting average, with a team OPS just under 1.2. Cal meanwhile held a .273 team batting average and a .794 team OPS. On the opposite side of the plate, the Tar Heels pitching corps boasted eight players that have a combined 3.39 ERA, while the Golden Bears have six pitchers–down to four as Mya McGowan and Anaya Togia are currently out–who have a combined ERA of 6.00. Despite these two teams looking like exact opposites on paper, the play on the field told a different story.
Friday, Game 1: Cal 6 - 11 UNC (8)
The Golden Bears battled hard in their first contest against the Tar Heels, coming back from a four run deficit to send the game into extra innings. Head coach Steve Singleton gave Layna Gerhard the first start of the three game series, to follow up on her last two dominant starts against ETAMU and U of the Pacific.
The Tar Heels offense got to work quickly in the first, scoring two from an RBI sacrifice fly followed by an RBI double. After a quiet inning from California’s bats, The Tar Heels continued powering their way forward at the plate in the second, scoring another two runs from a home run off the bat of SS Sydney Horton to give UNC a 4-0 lead. The home run would spell the end of Gerhard’s day, and she was relieved by Kiki Mashhoud after throwing 1.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, and 1 BB. Mashhoud–who has struggled in relief this season–silenced the Tar Heels’ high powered offense through the fourth, giving the Bears the breathing room they needed to push back.
In the bottom of the third, second baseman Harmony Andrade hit a lead off double into shallow left, and center fielder Kayli Counts and left fielder Kayla Lee hit consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. First baseman Anaya Togia reached first on a fielder’s choice, allowing Andrade to score the Bears’ first run of the ball game. In the fourth inning with a runner on first, catcher Anya German launched a moonshot over the left field fence for a 2-run homer, bringing Cal to just a one run deficit at 4-3.
North Carolina’s offense regained some control in the fifth after a pitching change ended Mashhoud’s outing. Mashhoud threw 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 1 K in the first game of the series, and was relieved by Taylor Peacock. 3B Shelby Barbee knocked an RBI double into left center, giving the Tar Heels a two run lead. Peacock closed out fifth, and was pulled from the circle in the sixth, having thrown 1.1 IP, 2 H, and 1 ER. Tamya Waiters was called on to complete the final two innings, and started out by giving up an RBI single to give UNC a 6-3 lead.
Despite being down by three, Cal refused to quit, clawing their way up to North Carolina’s level. First in the sixth inning, designated player Kyndal Todd hit the second Cal home run of the day with a solo-shot into deep right field, cutting the deficit down to two. Then in the bottom of the seventh with one out, Carly Raven (who was substituted from right field to first base in the previous inning) hit an RBI double into the gap in right center, bringing home pinch hitter Emma Jackson from first. A Tar Heels pitching change later, third baseman Maddie Rey added her own RBI double to the board, sending the sixth pitch of her at-bat into the gap in left center to score Raven from second, tying the game at 6-6 and sending Cal into their first extra innings battle of the season.
North Carolina seemed to wake up in the eighth. Layna Gerhard returned to the circle in the hopes of closing out the game quickly. However, that wasn’t to be, as UNC scored five unanswered runs in the eighth, putting them ahead by a wide margin. Although shortstop Gator Robinson managed to get on base with a two out single, a rally couldn’t get started, and the Bears fell to the Tar Heels in Game one by a final score of 11-6.
California picked up 14 hits on 36 at-bats, with Kayla Laa going 4-5 with an impressive four consecutive singles. Maddie Rey hit 2-4 with one double and one RBI, and Anya German went 2-3 with a double, a home run, and 2 RBIs. Kayla Lee stole a base, and Maddie Rey and Emma Jackson were each credited with one error. WP: Lilly Parrish (4-1), 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. LP: Layna Gerhard (3-2) 2.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 BB.
Saturday, Game 2: Cal 6 - 5 UNC
California returned to Viking Field for game two ready to get some vengeance for the stinging defeat they experienced in extras the day prior. After a quiet first inning from both sides, the Bears got off to a hot start, plating the first four runs of the game off a 2-run triple from right fielder Sophia Everett and a 2-run single from left fielder Kayla Lee in the second inning. Cal’s defense ensured they would not give up that lead at any point. Starting pitcher Kiki Mashhoud led the Bears’ defensive stand from the circle with a stand-out performance through five innings (her longest outing of the season so far).
North Carolina fought hard to keep things close, scoring a run to get them on the board in the top of the third with an RBI sacrifice fly from their top batter 1B Emily LeGette. However Cal responded in the next inning with an RBI sacrifice fly of their own from center fielder Kayli Counts to maintain the four run lead. From there, both teams exchanged blows, widening and narrowing the lead through the final innings. In the top of the fifth, LeGette picked up where she left off with a 2-run homer to close the gap to 5-3. Cal responded in the bottom of the same inning after putting a runner on third with one out. Pinch hitter D’Auna Johnson brought the runner home with an RBI double, giving the Bears a three run lead.
In the top of the sixth, after five impressive innings, Tamya Waiters was called on to relieve Mashhoud in the circle. Mashhoud’s outing concluded with 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, and 1 BB, keeping the high powered Tar Heels’ offense in check the entire time she was throwing. On Waiters fifth pitch of the day, North Carolina’s DP MC Eaton crushed it, scoring a solo homer to bring UNC within two. However, that would be all North Carolina picked up in the sixth as Waiters settled into a rhythm. Outside of a four pitch walk, California retired the side easily, sending both teams into a tense seventh inning.
After walking UNC’s first batter in four pitches, Taylor Peacock was called upon to relieve Waiters. Waiters finished the day with 1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, and 2 BB. “I was definitely feeling the pressure. Adrenaline was high, but that’s the best. [It’s] where you throw your fastest,” Taylor said when discussing the pressure of finishing a close game. “It’s the most hype situation to be in, and I’m so lucky I got to be in that position.” Peacock quickly navigated her way through North Carolina’s batters, locking down the first two outs while loading the bases in the process. After working PH Michele Tarpey into a full count, an unfavorable call brought home the Tar Heels’ fifth run on a walk, cutting Cal’s lead to one. But Peacock didn’t flinch. Three pitches later, North Carolina’s 2B Raegan Jennings delivered the game sealing out, sending a ground ball straight to Gator Robinson, who quickly flipped it to Emma Jackson for the force out at second base. “It was so awesome to see my teammates have my back even when things didn’t go our way,” said Peacock after the game. “We put in so much work during the week, I think all our hard work is finally coming to the surface.”
After the game, I caught up with head coach Steve Singleton and asked him about what was the key to Cal’s victory. “It was the ability to apply pressure and then capitalize once we did,” Singleton explained. “I think we’re still leaving more runners out there than we’d like to, but it also means we’re applying a lot of pressure.” The Golden Bears were able to gather twelve total hits in Saturday’s contest, with Carly Raven, Maddie Rey, Sophia Everett, and Emma Jackson all going 2-3 on the day. Everett picked up her first triple of the year, while Raven recorded two doubles. Kayli Counts stole a base, while Emma Jackson and Kayla Lee both stole two each. In the field, the Bears turned two double plays; an 8-6 in the third, and a routine 6-4-3 in the sixth.
The win against North Carolina on Saturday marked Cal’s first win of ACC conference play, as well as the first conference win of head coach Steve Singleton’s tenure at Cal. “It feels awesome,” said Coach Singleton, giving his thoughts on the win. “I know that the team’s really excited about it–and the staff–and now that it’s done, we can keep rolling and keep playing.”
WP: Kiki Mashhoud (2-2) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB
Save: Taylor Peacock (1) 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB
LP: Jil Livengood (1-1) 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Sunday, Game 3: Cal 5 - 13 UNC
In the rubber match of the series between California and North Carolina, the Golden Bears hit a wall. Although Cal fought hard through the first half of game three, the Bears were unable to push any sort of advantage against the Tar Heels. With key pieces currently out of the lineup and bullpen, Cal ultimately dropped the series finale.
Niki Mashhoud was given the starting nod from Singleton, and headed to the circle after going deep into game two just the day prior. The Tarheels’ offense wasted little time, with lead-off batter CF Sanaa Thompson and 1B Lexie Roberts each hitting back to back singles and advancing the third and second respectively after a wild pitch. A fielder’s choice by Emily LeGette on the next at-bat scored North Carolina’s first run of the day. Cal’s defense cleaned up afterwards, limiting the damage to just a single run.
In the bottom of the first, Cal fought back against UNC pitcher Kendall Frost to stay in the game, with Kayli Counts starting things off with a single to right field. In the next at-bat, Gator Robinson tattooed the third pitch to come her way towards the left field foul pole, sending it over the wall and giving Cal the lead 2-1 off a 2-run homer.
That lead would last only five at bats into the second as Mashhoud struggled to maintain control of the game, picking up an out while giving up two singles and a walk. After loading the bases, a tired Mashhoud was pulled from the circle, her relief–Layna Gerhard–lasting only three at-bats before getting pulled as well after allowing four runs to score. Layna Gerhard ended her day with 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, and 1 BB before being relieved by Tamya Waiters, who closed out the inning. Despite the abrupt lead change, Cal did not back down, and picked up another pair of runs thanks to an RBI single from third baseman Maddie Rey, followed by an RBI double off the bat of designated player Kyndal Todd to bring the deficit to just one run.
However, Cal wouldn’t score another run after that until the bottom of the seventh. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels would score a plethora of runs. Three at-bats into the fourth with the bases loaded, Tamya Waiters was relieved by Taylor Peacock, ending Waiters’ day with 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, and 2 BB. Despite the hazardous situation, the Bears were able to skirt through the fourth with minimal damage. An RBI hit by pitch by Barbee and an unearned run on a fielding error by Gator Robinson were the only runs allowed, giving UNC a 7-4 lead.
The Tar Heels picked up two more in the fifth from an RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI single, and then another two from back to back solo home runs in the seventh. The two homers spelled the end for Peacock’s day with 3.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, and 4 ER as Kiki Mashhoud returned to the mound to finish the game she’d started. Another two runs scored before Mashhoud and the Bears’ defense ended the inning, this time an unearned run off a passed ball, and an RBI single from Horton to put the Tarheels up 13-4. An RBI sacrifice fly from Maddie Rey brought Gator Robinson home for Cal’s fifth run of the day, however the Bears couldn’t put together a two-out rally, dropping the series finale to UNC.
California recorded 9 hits on 29 at-bats, with Gator Robinson hitting 3-4 with two doubles, a home run, and 2 RBI’s. Kayli Counts went 2-4 with two singles, and Emma Jackson hitting 2-2 with a bunt single. Jackson, Rey, and Robinson were also each credited with errors. In the field, the Bears turned a 5-3 double play. WP: Nikki Harris (2-0) 4.1 IP. 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB. LP: Kiki Mashhoud (2-3) 2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB.
What’s Next:
With Cal’s first two ACC home series now in the books, the Golden Bears look eastward for their next matchup. This coming weekend from March 20th-March 22nd, Cal begins a three game series against another top-25 team, this time facing off against #10 Florida State in Tallahassee, FL. The following week, the Bears travel north to Columbus, OH to take on Ohio State and Dayton in a double header on March 25th, before heading to South Bend, IN to play a three game series against Notre Dame from March 27th-29th. Both three game conference series against FSU and Notre Dame will be available to stream on ESPN+.