Cal Softball Honors Seniors Before Upset Win in Final Home Game
The Golden Bears Drop Two to the #14 Hokies; Pick up Win in Last Game Before Renovations to Levine-Fricke Field Begin
Another week in the books for Cal softball (32-18, 8-13 ACC) and the Golden Bears are rapidly approaching the end of the regular season. For a second week in a row the team stayed close to home, crossing the bay to play a game in Santa Clara (28-17, 7-2 WCC) before returning to Berkeley for a three game series against Virginia Tech (39-8, 17-4 ACC). The Bears found victory in the south bay 3-2, then split the series against the Hokies, losing the first two games 3-11 and 0-9, and taking the final game 4-0.
Close One in Santa Clara, April 22nd:
Cal began the week with a trip to Santa Clara to face the Broncos. The Bears’ offense took the lead quickly against Santa Clara in the first, scoring a run off an RBI fielder’s choice hit by first basewoman Tianna Bell that sent right fielder Elon Butler scrambling for home on the throw. The second and third runs for Cal came two innings later in the third, where a well hit RBI triple by catcher Lagi Quiroga would advance a runner on first to home, and an RBI double from shortstop Acacia Anders on the next at bat sent Qurioga home for a 3-0 lead. The only runs scored by Santa Clara came in the fifth and seventh inning. Their first run of the game arrived thanks to an RBI single from shortstop Rebecca Rubio, and similarly their second run scored off an RBI single from third basewoman Hope Alley. Although the Broncos came close to tying it in the seventh down one with a runner in scoring position, the Bears’ defense picked up the final out quickly and added another tally to the win column.
The bullpen remained strong throughout the game, and although it got close, refused to break. Ryann Orange (8-3) picked up the win in the circle Tuesday, pitching through 4.1 innings and allowing 5 hits, 0 ER, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts on 70 pitches. Miranda De Nava was credited with the save (her first of the season) as she closed out the last 2.2 innings, giving up 1 hit, 1 ER, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts in 46 pitches.
Hokies Take the First, April 25th:
I will keep this and the next section brief. With game three being senior day and the final home game before Levine-Fricke closes for 16-18 months for renovations, I’ve dedicated the bulk of the rest of this article to covering game three.
Returning to Levine-Fricke field to begin the final home series of the season, the Bears’ first game against the #14 Virginia Tech Hokies was not pretty. Virginia Tech got off to a hot start, with right fielder Cori McMillan knocking a solo home run into left center on the first at bat. Center fielder Bre Peck added another run to the board with an RBI single to center field before the first inning came to an end. Cal responded with a score of their own thanks to a passed ball allowing Quiroga to take off for home, making it a 2-1 ballgame. After the first inning however Virginia Tech piled on the runs, and Cal struggled to put up any form of offensive fight. The Hokies scored two in the second off a home run from first basewoman Michelle Chatfield, and then two more in fourth when catcher Zoe Yaeger hit a 2-RBI single through the right side to make it 6-1. The next inning, an RBI walk followed by a grand slam by Chatfield put the Hokies up 11-1 with a run-rule ending looming. The Bears did not quit, battling back with an RBI double from Butler, and an RBI single from Quiroga in the bottom of the seventh, however Cal could not score anymore from there, and the game ended in five innings 11-3.
Miranda De Nava (11-6) got the starting nod for game one, picking up her sixth loss of the season. De Nava struggled in the circle against Virginia Tech, giving up 6 hits, 5 ER, 3 walks, and 1 strikeout in 3 innings. Junior pitcher Ashanti McDade relieved De Nava in the fourth, and similarly found difficulty with the Hokies’ bats. McDade closed out the game allowing 6 hits, 6 ER, and 2 walks. Virginia Tech pitcher Sophie Kleiman (11-1) was assigned the win, having pitched 4.2 innings and giving up 5 hits, 3 ER, 3 Walks, and 2 strikeouts. Emma Lemley was called in to relieve Kleiman, and picked up the final out of the game.
Saturday Shutout, April 26th:
Unfortunately, things would not get better for California in game two, where the Golden Bears were shut out at home 9-0 by Virginia Tech. It was a rough outing in the circle, with three Cal pitchers having their numbers called. Anna Reimers (6-3) started for the Bears and was assigned the loss, pitching 3 innings and 7 hits, 5 ER, 5 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Fellow senior Annabel Teperson relieved Reimers in the fourth, staying in for 2 innings and allowing 2 hits and 1 ER. McDade was called upon in the sixth to finish the game, and gave up 3 hits, 2 ER, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. Hokies starter Emma Lemley (16-5) got the win, absolutely eviscerating the California offense through 7 innings allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10.
Virginia Tech again established dominance early, with McMillan hitting a second solo home run on the first at bat in as many games. In the second, Chatfield sent another one over the fences for a 2-RBI homer. Third basewoman Jordan Lynch hit a 2 RBI single to make it 5-0 in the fourth. In the fifth, left fielder Trinity Martin brought another home with an RBI single, and facilitated another RBI while being picked off at first. The final two runs were scored in the seventh, thanks to consecutive RBI walks to Peck and designated hitter Kylie Aldridge.
Shutout Win For Our Seniors, April 27th:
As mentioned before, last Sunday was an important day for Cal softball. First and foremost it was Senior Day, the last home game of the season where coaches, players, and fans honor our senior players before they play in their final career home game. In addition, Sunday marked the last home game Cal softball would play in Levine-Fricke field before work would start on stadium renovations.
Posters of Cal softball’s four senior players were hung around the stadium, and their numbers emblazoned on the outfield grass in white. Shortstop #13 Acacia Anders, pitcher #34 Annabel Teperson, center fielder #5 Mika Lee, and pitcher #27 Anna Reimers all received flowers, hugs and praise from their teammates and coaches, and applause from the sell out crowd of 812 in the stands. Once the congratulations were completed, there was only one thing left for Cal to do: Win.
“It was the last on Levine-Fricke. It was our senior day, and we knew we were playing a great opponent. It was kind of like a nothing to lose mindset,” senior and starting pitcher Annabel Teperson explained while discussing the team’s mentality going into Sunday’s game. “We were just going to go out there, play our hardest… and at the very least enjoy our last day on the field.” Which is exactly what they did.
The matchup quickly turned into a pitching duel between Teperson and starting pitcher Emma Mazzarone. While both teams remained scoreless and the innings began passing by, it was slowly revealed who had an edge from the circle. Mazzarone picked up 6 strikeouts against the Bears, but seemed to struggle finding the zone as she also gave up 5 walks in her performance. Teperson meanwhile threw only 1 strikeout in the contest, and kept walks down to a minimum (2).
Close to every ball she threw that was put into play was quickly turned into an out by Cal’s defense. “I am a drop ball pitcher,” said Teperson. “There’s a lot of balls put into play, and my defense has been there for me so much. That just makes a world of difference for me.” This tandem of great pitch placement and dependable fielding made Cal a formidable opponent, one that Virginia Tech seemed unable to handle throughout the entire game. Teperson and the Cal defense kept Virginia Tech off the board through seven innings.
On offense, the Golden Bears spent the first few innings chipping away at Mazzarone. Although the score remained at 0-0, Cal was finding ways to get on base. Left fielder Kaylee Pond and Quiroga each picked up singles, and Cal players were reaching thanks to discipline at the plate to draw walks. After four innings of putting Mazzarone into jams and drawing walks, Cal got an opportunity.
In the bottom of the fifth, Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Lemley was called in to relieve Mazzarone. Quiroga kicked things off with a quick single to right center, and first basewoman Tianna Bell followed up by popping a single into center field, putting runners on first and second with Kaylee Pond coming up to bat. At full count with two outs, Pond seized the moment and ripped a massive no-doubter over the right field fence, giving the Bears their first lead of the series 3-0. Cal tacked on one more in the following inning, with Quiroga hitting an RBI single to first that grounded towards first before unexpectedly hitting the base before it could be fielded. The weird bounce off the bag got away from the Hokies’ first basewoman, giving Nailyn Marshall time to take off for home from third on the throw.
Up by four, Cal needed to last just one more frame to walk out of Levine-Fricke with an upset victory, potentially with a shutout too. After snagging two outs and giving up a single, Teperson faced Virginia Tech shortstop Annika Rohs. “I could see everyone stomping, standing up, and clapping. It was the loudest it had ever been pre-pitch for me. That gave me a lot of confidence,” Teperson described to me. “I was like, ‘you know what, I’m just gonna throw my best pitch right now’.” Rohs’ bat caught the pitch and sent it hurtling back at Teperson, which she somehow had quick enough reflexes to snatch from the air in front of her, securing an upset 4-0 shutout victory for the Golden Bears.
“When I saw it coming back to me, I was like ‘oh. Was not expecting this.’ But as soon as I caught it, it was just a wave of excitement and relief.” Teperson (4-4) finished her final home game as a Cal senior notching a win, having pitched a complete game shutout (her second of the season) and limiting Virginia Tech’s otherwise productive offense to just 5 hits, 0 ER, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout in seven innings. On the opposite side of the game, Mazzarone gave up 2 hits, 5 walks, and 6 strikeouts in four innings, while Lemley was assigned the loss after allowing 4 hits, 4 ER, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout in 1.1 innings. Reliever Cassie Grizzard closed things out for Virginia Tech, giving up 1 hit and 1 strikeout in .2 innings.
See You in Syracuse:
Beginning Friday, California will enter its final three games of the regular season in New York against Syracuse. The Bears are hungry to pull away the regular season with a final conference series to give them some momentum and improve their standings in the ACC. All three games will be streaming on the ACC network (ACCNX). Following Syracuse, the ACC championship will begin. While Cal is by no means a favorite to win the championship, you can never count out these Bears!
In the closing moments of our interview, Annabel Teperson, wanted to express her gratitude to Bear Territory: “Thank you for always supporting Cal softball. The Big Swing with Stanford and 13,000 people being there was a super emotional moment for me, and it was so amazing to see so many people supporting women’s sports. It means a lot. Go Bears!”
Have you looked at
ESPN + ? They have a lot of games
Thanks for the coverage Callie!