RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Saturday, March 6

Riverside

12 p.m.

California Baptist University

Azusa Pacific

3/6/2010 10:00:00 PM | Softball

RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Through the first 21 games, California Baptist University has outscored its opponents, 202-9, with hardly a challenge.

The top-ranked Lancers were challenged today, but showed they can win big and they can win small. All that matters to them is that at the end of the day, they win.

The Lancers used a late-inning rally and scored all of their runs in the bottom of the fifth to get an 8-0 mercy-rule win in the opener and then used a sixth-inning solo home run by Kendall Gorham to get a 1-0 win in the nightcap and complete a doubleheader sweep of Azusa Pacific Saturday afternoon.

CBU, now 23-0 overall, 4-0 GSAC, has posted eight straight shutouts, a span of 45.2 consecutive scoreless innings, just three innings shy of the NAIA record they already set this year back in February. Sixteen of the Lancers' 23 wins have been ended by the eight-run mercy-rule.

The Cougars fall to 10-10, 1-3.

While the Lancer bats were uncharacteristically quiet for the most part, Tory Ferreira and Emma Holden were dominant in the circle as usual. The duo combined for 12 shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 17.

“Our concern to this point is that we haven't been tested,” said CBU Head Coach Mike Smith, “so we were wondering how the girls would respond when faced with a challenge. They stuck with the plan today even when it seemed like it wasn't working, and when you get the type of pitching we had today in Tory and Emma you're always going to have a chance if you can score one or two runs.”

The first four innings was a classic pitchers' duel between Ferriera and Taryn Devich (6-3). Twice in the first three innings, the Lancers had a runner on third base and couldn't get them in as Devich worked her way out of the jams.

It was until the fifth when the Lancers finally came alive and sent 12 batters to the plate where they finally broke through, and broke through in a big way.

Nicole Shoemaker and Tina Galinato both had two-RBI singles, the latter coming after a big two-out error by the Cougars. Caty Reeves also had an RBI single in the inning. Ashley Boyd drew a bases loaded walk to make it 7-0, and then Galinato, who scored twice in the inning, scored the clinching run on a passed ball.

The Lancers had eight hits, four of them in the fifth. Boyd and Shoemaker each had two hits apiece.

Ferreira (7-0) hit Bekah Weisser to lead off the second and then gave up a leadoff single to Natalie Barnaby in the fourth, and that was it. It was her third straight start where she spun a one-hitter, and she recorded three strikeouts. The reigning NAIA Pitcher of the Year hasn't allowed a run in 16.2 consecutive innings and hasn't allowed an earned run since the season opener.

Cougar freshman Rita Kim went toe-to-toe with Holden in the nightcap. For the seventh time in 10 appearances, all wins, Holden struck out 10 or more as she matched a career-high with 14 strikeouts. She gave up a two-out single to left in the first and a leadoff infield single in the fourth but proceeded to strikeout seven of the final 12 batters of the game.

“We played good defense for what chances we had, especially in that second game when Emma was being Emma,” said Smith. “She doesn't give our defense much work when she's in the circle, but when we had the chances we were solid.”

Meanwhile, Kim (0-4) was doing her best Holden impersonation, keeping the Lancer bats off-balance. To a team that averages 10.8 hits per game, she only gave up three, but one of them was costly.

Kim gave up a leadoff single to Boyd in the first and a two out single to Briana Corral in the second. She then retired the next 12 Lancers and had Gorham behind in the count 1-2, but the Lancer sophomore smacked her 13th home run of the season with two outs in the sixth for what turned out to be the game's only run.

“To be honest, I was a little surprised they threw to Kendall, given what she's done this year,” said Smith. “She didn't have a great day, and maybe that's why. Kim left one over the plate and Kendall made her pay for it. Tip your hat to her, though, she pitched a great game and kept us off balance. If we weren't as consistent as we have been in the first 20 games, I'm not sure we have the confidence to stick with it and pull this win out.”