California Baptist University
Northwest Nazarene University
Turlock Trifecta
4/5/2013 11:16:00 PM | Softball
TURLOCK, Calif. --- California Baptist University opened up the Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif. with three close call wins Friday, scoring a total of five runs in the victories.
The Lancers defeated Northwest Nazarene, 2-0, UC San Diego, 2-0, and San Francisco state, 1-0, to move to 22-16 on the season.
CBU opened the day bright and early against Northwest Nazarene and it took more than a full seven inning to wake the Lancer bats up. The Lancers and Crusaders played scoreless for seven innings before CBU finally came through with the game winning runs in the eighth.
With Jordan Mowatt placed on second base, Mara Rodriguez doubled to left, plating the first run of the game for either team. Rachel Meyer would follow with an RBI single giving CBU a 2-0 advantage.
Jessica Avila came back out to finish things off, throwing a perfect eighth inning to strand the NNU runner placed on second and seal the eight-inning victory. Avila gave up five hits and struck out eight to get her 14th win of the season.
Rodriguez led a Lancer club that posted eight hits in the game, going 3 for 4 at the plate.
CBU's second game of the day followed nearly the same script as the Lancers plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth and Avila tossed a one, two, three seventh inning to seal the win.
CBU and UCSD played scoreless for five and a half innings before Rodriguez led the sixth off with a single and was eventually driven in by Savannah Miller. A bases loaded walk would push a second run across for the Lancers as CBU grabbed its second straight 2-0 win.
Avila struck out just two Tritons in the game, but also gave up just three hits to garner her second complete game shutout of the day. Avila now had five complete game shutouts on the year and is 15-9.
Sticking to the theme it was again a Rodriguez double, followed by another single from Miller that drove in the Lancers' first and only run against SFSU in the late game of the day, putting CBU ahead 1-0 in the third. Miller went 2 for 3 in the game.
It was all the Lancers would need to close out the day.
Belinda Renne did the work in the circle for CBU, throwing seven innings of four hit ball to move her season record to 6-3. Renne struck out seven and stranded six in the game.
The Lancers close the Tournament of Champions tomorrow with a pair of games.
