Strong Pitching Nets Cal Softball a 3-0 Weekend Performance

Cal goes perfect with 3 wins at the Wilson Invitational (Long Beach, CA)

The California Golden Bears women’s softball team looked to gain ground this weekend in Long Beach, CA at the Wilson Invitational hosted at Long Beach State, after falling from ESPN/USA Today’s top 25 following a 3-2 showing at the Kajikawa Tournament in Tempe, AZ.

via @CalSB on Instagram

Although the Bears were scheduled to face five teams over the course of the weekend (Oregon State, Saint Mary’s, Kansas, Iowa State, and Southern Utah), inclement weather problems in the Long Beach area over the weekend forced Wilson Invitational to adjust the schedule. Cal’s games against Saint Mary’s and Southern Utah on Friday and Sunday respectively were cancelled.

On Friday, Cal faced the Oregon State Beavers, their invitational opener kicking off with a pitching duel between starting pitchers Ryann Orange (Cal) and Logan Hulon (Oregon State) that ended in a Bears victory 3-1. Orange would prove to be the more dominant pitcher, flirting with a no-hitter before allowing 3 hits in the seventh. Along with getting the win, Orange tossed 107 total pitches, giving up 1 ER, 3 hits, 3 BB, and 9 strikeouts, beating out Hulon’s 1 ER, 8 hits, 1 BB, and 6 strikeouts. Cal’s bats stayed somewhat quiet against Oregon State, with no signs of life until the fifth, where Mika Lee laid down a bunt with Kayli Counts on second, and Lagi Quiroga on first. After an error on the throw to first by the Beaver’s, Counts took advantage and reached home to put the Bears on the board first. Quiroga and Holly Medina would each notch RBI’s in the seventh to add on the Cal’s lead, making it 3-0 before Oregon state would tally their only run off an RBI single from Ella Dardis in the seventh.

The Bears played the Kansas Jayhawks a little over 24 hours later, giving the team a welcome reprieve from the back to back to back softball they faced in the Kajikawa Tournament. A low scoring affair for both sides, Cal pulled out a win against Kansas 2-1 in exciting walk-off fashion. The Jayhawks struck first in the contest, scoring off an RBI single in right field in the top of the first. That would be the only scoring Cal’s starting pitcher Annabel Teperson and reliever Anna Reimers would allow. Reimers was called in to relieve Terperson in the fourth with one out and runners on second and third, and quickly got the Bears out of the jam stranding two. Cal’s offense–which had been blazing hot in the Kajikawa Tournament–was quiet, with only Alyssa Herrera, Tianna Bell, Elon Butler, Kaylee Pond, and Mia Phillips. All scoring heroics were handled by Phillips, first scoring the tying run off an RBI single in the fourth inning, and then bringing home the game winning run off a walk-off fielder’s choice in the seventh. Teperson would pitch 3.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 1 ER, and 1 strikeout on 49 pitches, while Reimers recorded the win from 3.2 innings allowing 2 hits, 0 ER, and 4 strikeouts on 59 pitches.

In the final game of the round robin invitational, the Golden Bears would end playing with a 4-1 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones. Stellar pitching from starting pitcher Miranda De Nava kept the Cyclones’ bats virtually silent the entire game, with their only run being scored off a solo homer into left field off the bat of Jessie Clemons in the sixth inning. Cal’s offense however wasted no time getting on the board first, thanks to a well placed RBI double in right center from Acacia Anders. Nailyn Marshall and Kaylee Ponds both added to Cal’s score with a two-run RBI Double in the second and an RBI single in the third respectively. Following the third, the Bears’ hitting would go cold, however Cal’s defense would hold, with De Nava delivering a 3 hit, 1 ER, 1 walk, and 4 strikeout performance on 93 total pitches to get the win.

As noted previously, unlike in the Kajikawa Tournament, Cal relied much less on the hot bats and high scoring offensive showings seen in Tempe. Not a single ball batted by the Bears cleared the outfield fences, and Cal’s leader in hits and home runs Lagi Quiroga was kept to only singles. Cal instead held firm on defensive and pitching performances, keeping opponents from scoring more than one run each. A total 18 strikeouts in 21 innings were recorded for the Bears, 9 of which were picked up by Ryann Orange in her impressive complete game against Oregon state. Cal’s fielders committed only 4 errors, a welcome improvement from the twice as many that were committed in the last 3 games of the previous tournament.

The Golden Bears are moving on to play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, CA next week, with games against Oregon, Cal State Fullerton, Washington, Seattle, and Loyola Marymount beginning beginning February 20th.

Opening day at Levine-Fricke Field against Boston College is scheduled for Friday, March 7th at 2pm. Tickets start at $8, and are available through Cal’s website. Do not miss the chance to watch an extremely promising Cal Softball team begin ACC play and support this season!