Cal Softball: Offensive Explosion Falls Short Against Wolfpack
Last minute scoring rallies couldn’t make up for pitching struggles in back-to-back heartbreaking losses against North Carolina State
RALEIGH – Two teams descended upon Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, NC for a three game series with major implications for the ACC tournament. The California Golden Bears (13-30, 3-15 ACC) and the North Carolina State Wolfpack (25-17, 6-8 ACC) entered the series with diametrically opposing records; the Wolfpack having been more successful in their out of conference games than the Bears. In conference play however, both teams have struggled to win in the top-heavy Atlantic Coast Conference. Going into their first game on Friday, NC State and Cal were sitting in the 12th and 13th spots in the ACC standings respectively. With only a few more weeks left in the regular season and easy opponents few and far between, picking up wins here will be crucial for determining who is included as one of the twelve teams called on to travel to Charlottesville for the conference tournament.
The Golden Bears and Wolfpack did not disappoint over the weekend offensively, both fighting for every run scored. Both teams combined for a total of fifty runs, with their final two games each being decided by one run leads.
Friday, Game 1: Cal 8 - 14 NC State
While scoring wasn’t hard to come by, game one between Cal and NC State featured pitching struggles for both sides. Eight total pitchers entered the circle for both teams, with Cal sending out five and NC State sending out three as both rotations struggled to find the strike zone. The Bears were first to take advantage after the first two batters in the lineup—Kayla Lee and Gator Robinson—were walked by Wolfpack starting pitcher Rylee Wyman. Maddie Rey knocked a single into left field on the following at-bat, sending Lee home to give Cal a 1-0 advantage to start the campaign.
In the bottom of the frame, head coach Steve Singleton gave sophomore pitcher Layna Gerhard the starting nod for the blue & gold. North Carolina State wasted no time taking back the lead from the Bears. The Wolfpack recorded a single, a fly out, and a five pitch walk before scoring two quick runs off an RBI double and RBI single. Another walk after that spelled the end of Gerhard’s day in the circle as Kiki Mashhoud was called in to relieve her–although Gerhard would return later in the game. The Wolfpack picked up one more from a sacrifice fly before Mashhoud closed out the inning with the score 3-1 in favor of NC State.
In response, Golden Bears catcher Anya German clawed back a run in the following inning by going yard to left field, necessitating a pitching change for NC State. Despite threatening with runners at second and third, the Bears couldn’t bring in anymore in the second, and the Wolfpack capitalized in the bottom of the frame with a 2-RBI double to go up 5-2. Kiki Mashhoud was pulled midway through the bottom of the second after throwing 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, and was relieved by Tamya Waiters.
Both sides had a silent third inning before Cal came back on the attack in the fourth. With only one out, the Bears loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks. Once again Rey stepped up for Cal, clearing the bases with a double into center field to bring home three. A short while later, a fielding error by NC State’s Kendall Simmers while trying to catch Emma Jackson stealing second resulted in Rey scoring herself. German added another run to her total with an RBI double, giving the Golden Bears a 7-5 advantage.
The Wolfpack however would not back down the rest of the game, scoring nine runs across the next three innings. NC State regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a 2-RBI double and a solo home run to make it 8-7, and tacked on five insurance runs from an RBI walk with the bases loaded followed by a grand slam in the fifth. The Wolfpack added one more in the sixth, while the Bears failed to score in either inning. In the final inning for Cal, German unloaded again, launching her second home run of the evening into deep right. But the Golden Bears could not follow up with additional runs, giving North Carolina State the game one victory, 14-8.
The slugfest concluded with Cal recording 9 hits on 29 at-bats, with Anya German having a big night by going 3-4 with 2 home runs, a double, and 3 RBIs. Maddie Rey went 2-4 with a double, a single, and 4 RBIs, and Emma Jackson went 1-1 with a triple. Emma Jackson and Gator Robinson each stole a base, and Robinson, Kayli Counts, and Sophia Everett each recorded an error. WP: Morgen Talley (11-6) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. LP: Layna Gerhard (5-3) 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB.
Saturday, Game 2: Cal 4 - 5 NC State
Unlike the previous game, game two against the Wolfpack was much less explosive, resulting in a lower scoring affair for both sides. Singleton called on Mya McGowan–the only member of Cal’s pitching rotation who didn’t throw the day before–to start the game out in the circle. NC State got off to a hot start after keeping Cal off the bases in the first, scoring off a 2-run home run. However McGowan settled in from there and kept the game within reach for the Golden Bears down the stretch.
In the bottom of the third, a sacrifice fly added to NC State’s 3-0 lead. The Bears bats began to show signs of life in the next frame, with German and Kyndal Todd reaching on a fielder’s choice and a single respectively. Jackson responded by bringing home Cal’s first run with an RBI single, to cut the lead to 3-1. The Wolfpack were able to respond in the fourth, bringing in another with an RBI single. After holding North Carolina State to only four runs, Mya McGowan was called back from the circle, having thrown 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, and Kiki Mashhoud was sent in to relieve her.
In the bottom of the sixth, NC State added another run to their total thanks to a fielding error, backing the Bears into a four run corner. However, Cal did not give up. In the top of the seventh, Anaya Togia hit a rocket to deep center field to cut the deficit to three and give the Bears some momentum. McGowan and Everett followed up taking by walks and then advancing to second and third on a wild pitch. Later in the inning with two outs down, Rey slapped a double to center to bring home McGowan and Everett, pulling Cal within just one hit of tying things up. Rey stole third, but was unfortunately stranded sixty feet away as the final out was called.
California got 6 hits on 27 at-bats in the second contest of the series, with Maddie Rey going 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI, Emma Jackson going 2-3 with a pair of singles and an RBI, and Anaya Togia going 1-2 with a home run. Rey recorded 1 stolen base, and Kyndal Todd and Carly Raven were each hit by a pitch. From the field: Gator Robinson was credited with an error, while Cal turned a 5-4-3 double play in the first inning.
WP: Rylee Wyman (6-7) 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
LP: Mya McGowan (4-10) 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
SAVE: Morgen Talley (1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 K
Sunday, Game 3: Cal 9 - 10 NC State
The rubber match between the Golden Bears and the Wolfpack saw the lead change hands four times in the first two innings, before ending in another last-minute seventh inning comeback for Cal cut heartbreakingly short. Mya McGowan was again given the starting nod from Singleton to follow up on her seventy-seven pitch outing in game two.
California kicked off the series finale by taking a quick 1-0 lead after Togia picked up right where she left off the night before. Togia knocked an RBI single into center field, bringing home Raven. However, NC State responded just as fast, tying the game with an RBI single of their own before adding another three from a 2-RBI single and a run scored on a passed ball. The Golden Bears came roaring back in the top of the second, dropping four runs on the Wolfpack to go up 5-4. Everett opened up the rally with an RBI single, advancing McGowan (who reached on a single) all the way home. A fielding error by NC State shortstop Carly Short kept the inning alive and brought Everett home, giving Rey and Togia the opportunity to tally their own RBI singles.
North Carolina State shot out in front again in the bottom of the second, first tying things up at five each with an RBI single, then breaking the game open with the second grand slam of the series to put the Wolfpack firmly in the lead. The grand slam spelled the end of Mya McGowan’s day. Coach Singleton pulled McGowan after 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, and called in Tamya Waiters to relieve her. After scoring one more run on an RBI walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, both teams’ bats went silent, stretching all the way to the top of the sixth. In the fifth inning, Kiki Mashhoud was called on for her third appearance in as many games to relieve Waiters. Waiters finished her outing with 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Down by five and rapidly running out of time, Cal picked up a pair of timely runs in the sixth. Everett began the inning with a double to right center, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. D’Auna Johnson brought Everett home with an RBI single on the very next at-bat, and Rey hit an RBI sacrifice fly to bring home Johnson, bringing Cal within three. In the final frame, the Golden Bears again picked up two runs. Anya German reached first thanks to a throwing error pulling NC State’s first baseman off the bag, bringing Mya McGowan to the plate. Despite sitting on a 0.034 batting average to that point, the freshman did not back down from the clutch moment. With one cinematic swing, McGowan turned on the sixth pitch of her at-bat, launching her first career home run–a 2-run bomb to deep left field–to bring the Bears within one run. Unfortunately, North Carolina State’s pitcher Morgen Talley would not give up any more runs, sitting down the next three Cal batters in order to complete the sweep for the Wolfpack.
The Golden Bears put together 11 hits on 32 at-bats, with Mya McGowan going 2-4 with a home run, a single, and 2 RBI, Anaya Togia going 3-4 with a trio of singles and 2 RBI, and Sophia Everett going 2-4 with a single, double, and an RBI. Carly Raven, Maddie Rey, Jackson, and Everett each stole a base, while Jackson, Togia, and Gator Robinson were each credited with an error. From the field: Cal turned a 4-6 double play in the fourth, and a 6-4-3 double play in the fifth. WP: Morgen Talley (12-6) 5.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. LP: Mya McGowan (4-11) 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 2 BB.
What’s Next?
Although the Bears will be back in their home state this weekend, Cal won’t be playing in the Bay Area. The team will be traveling down south for some softball in SoCal; first with a visit to CSU Northridge for a game against the Matadors on Thursday, April 16th. The Golden Bears follow up their mid-week game with a double header against a familiar foe: #8 UCLA in Los Angeles, CA. Games will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and B1G+ respectively. Go Bears!
Keep battling Bears!