RIVERSIDE - California Baptist University softball finished its second to last home series of the season on Saturday, looking for a sweep of the Seattle U Redhawks. The game was full of exciting moments but ultimately went the way of Seattle, 6-4. The Lancers remain in sole possession of second place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a two-game cushion at 12-6 (25-22 overall) with UT Arlington (10-8) and Seattle U (11-9) two games back still.
Seattle struck first, plating a trio of runs in the top of the third, but CBU would answer in kind the very next inning. Merissa Borkowski would get things going by reaching on a fielder's choice, extending her on-base streak to 19 straight. Kayla Lyon would follow two batters later and smack her team-leading eighth home run of the season. One batter later, Kalena Burns would survive for eight pitches before sending the ninth over the opposite field wall to tie the game at 3-3.
Things would go quiet again for a few innings before SU opened the top of the sixth with a solo shot and scored two more later in the frame. The Lancers would start a rally in the next half-inning, with
Maya Martinez coming through with a two-out RBI single that scored
Ashlee Annett to make it 6-4. Unfortunately, the following four Lancers would go down in order, shutting the door on the Lancers on Saturday.
CBU is back on the road next week for a three-game series against the Wildcats of Abilene Christian, who, at the moment, owns the final tournament spot by a half-game lead over Southern Utah. Friday's doubleheader is set for 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. Pacific time, with Saturday's finale slated for 10:00 a.m. Pacific.
