California Baptist University
Hope International University (Calif.)
LEADING OFF
3/15/2008 7:00:00 AM | Softball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. ? California Baptist's lead off hitter, Sara Goforth, set the table in a doubleheader sweep over Hope International (5-1 and 12-4) by going 4-for-7 with three runs scored. Goforth reached base in six of her seven at bats.
The Lancers (28-2, 8-0 GSAC) hit .396 as a team (19-for-48) and hit three home runs in the second game alone with two coming from Sarah Hurlbut.
Goforth led the way in the opener going 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double. Karina Slauenwhite drove in a pair of runs going 1-for-1 with a run scored while Erin Moore went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
The Lancers got on the board first in the bottom of the first when Goforth scored on a Moore sac fly. CBU scored two more in the second on Goforth's double to left field that brought home Slauenwhite and Kelly Maconachy.
Nicole Shoemaker made it 4-0 in the third when she scored, after ripping a double, on a Slauenwhite single up the middle.
Hope scored its only run in the fourth, but the Lancers answered with another run to in the fifth to close out the game.
Amy Thomas (15-1), who had not given up a hit to the Royals in two appearances last year against HIU, allowed just two hits and no earned runs while striking out four to win her 15th straight game.
While Goforth again set the table, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, in the nightcap, it was Hurlbut who took the spotlight. Hurlbut went 2-for-3 with back-to-back home runs.
Melanie Ahumada (13-1) needed to go just the five innings to grab the win as the Lancers picked up the run rule with four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
CBU led 8-1 heading into the fifth inning after scoring two runs each in the first and second innings before adding four more in the third to take an 8-0 lead. Hope scored one run in the fourth, and then added three more in the top of the fifth to make it an 8-4 game.
Hurlbut sparked the fifth-inning rally when she led off the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to center field. Allison Dennis, who went 2-for-2, and Maconachy hit back-to-back singles before a Goforth single scored Dennis and a Nikki Lowe fielder's choice scored Maconachy to make it 11-4.
Shoemaker drove in Chantal Millard for the final run of the game to make it 29 straight wins over the Royals.
California Baptist will now get set for a spring break trip to Tucson, Ariz., for the Tucson Invitational where it will play three games Monday and three games Wednesday.
