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49ers
collect four wins in front home crowd at
tournament
Extended
• Senior centerfielder Lauren Johnson
throws to the infield during the 49er's
loss to Florida, 5-0 on Saturday. Nadia
Abu-Hijleh / Online Forty-Niner
By
Matt Pearson
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
Timely
hitting and dominating pitching helped propel
the Long Beach State softball team over
the opposition as the 49ers went 4-1 in
the Long Beach State Invitational at Mayfair
Park last weekend.
"Everybody
is stepping up," 49er Head Coach Pete
Manarino said. "Everybody is contributing."
In
the final game on Sunday, freshman catcher
Brooke LeSage provided the timely offense
when she hit her first career home run,
blasting a two-run shot in the fourth inning
against San Diego State. That would be all
the scoring in the game; No. 25-ranked LBSU
beat the Aztecs 2-0.
Senior
pitcher Meredith Cervenka perplexed batters
all day long, collecting the win (9-3) for
The Beach. Cervenka completed her third
straight shutout and fifth of the season
as she pitched seven innings, gave up five
hits and struck out five.
In
the first game on Sunday, senior pitcher
Marcel Torres helped put the 49ers on the
board in the first inning against Indiana
when she hit a two-run home run.
The
Beach would go deep one more time in the
third inning as freshman shortstop Jessica
Beaver hit her first career home run as
LBSU went on to beat the Hoosiers 5-0. Torres
picked up the victory to improve to 7-5
on the season.
The
Beach split their games on Saturday by beating
Loyola Marymount University 5-0, and losing
to the No. 14-ranked Florida Gators 5-0.
Cervenka
recorded the victory over the Lions while
giving up only three hits and striking out
10 batters.
LBSU
scored their first run of the game in the
second inning courtesy of an RBI single
by junior third baseman Melanie McCauley.
An errant throw by LMU allowed Johnson to
score in the third inning.
Johnson
would score again in the fifth inning as
a sacrifice fly by sophomore right fielder
Kourtnee Gervasi got her home. Johnson knocked
in the final run in the sixth inning with
a double, scoring senior outfielder Lindsay
Marksbury.
The
Gators jumped on the 49ers in the first
game of the day as they scored four runs
in the third inning. Sophomore pitcher Stacy
Stevens picked up the win for Florida as
she kept LBSU batters off-balance all game
long.
On
opening night of the tournament, LBSU defeated
Indiana by a score of 4-0, with all four
runs coming in the second inning, highlighted
by a two-run single by LeSage. Cervenka
collected the victory, giving up seven hits
and three strikeouts.
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