Success
in rain for Beach Softball
By
Daniel Frias
On-line Forty-Niner
The
Long Beach State softball team headed down
to San Diego this past weekend to compete
in the 14th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic
where the toughest opponent the team faced
was not a top-ten-ranked team, but somebody
or something more invincible--mother nature.
Heavy
rains caused many of the games all over
Southern California to be cancelled. All
games Sunday at the Campbell/Cartier Classic
were cancelled due to rain and poor field
conditions. LBSU finished 3-0 behind Cal
State Northridge who won all four of its
games and was declared this year's Campbell/Cartier
Classic champions
The
49ers opened the three-day tournament winning
both its games on Friday and Saturday before
rain forced the afternoon game against Oregon
to be cancelled.
The
49ers had no trouble disposing of its first
opponent when the team opened up play Friday
defeating Ohio 1-0 before doing the same
to the No. 4 ranked Washington Huskies.
Lauren
Johnson was a key reason for the 49ers success
against Ohio and Washington.
In
the Ohio game Johnson scored what proved
to be the winning run in the first inning.
Johnson doubled to left filed. After two
walks by the Ohio pitcher Harley, Johnson
advanced to third. Johnson then scored on
a wild pitch by Harley. Pitcher Meredith
Cervenka held Ohio to just five hits, striking
out four in seven scoreless innings for
her fourth win of the season.
In
the 49ers upset of the Huskies, Johnson
once again came through for the Beach. In
the bottom of the fifth inning Johnson connected
on a single before advancing to second base
on a wild pitch by Huskies pitcher Ashley
Boek. Two batters later Johnson scored on
an error after Marcel Torres singled into
center field. Torres allowed four hits and
struck out four to earn her fifth win of
the season as the 49ers handed Washington
its second loss of the season.
The
49ers put its bats to good use Saturday
against Iowa. The 49ers scored six runs
on as many hits to defeat the Hawkeyes 6-2.
Arleigh Thorp's homerun in the first inning
put the 49ers up 2-0. The 49ers added two
more to the score in fifth and then again
in the seventh. Kourtnee Gervasi led the
49ers going two for three with two runs
scored. Cervenka picked up her fifth win
allowing three hits and two runs while striking
out nine.
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