(Redding, CA) The Park University Gilbert softball team split a double header with Simpson for the second day in a row. This time the Bucs won game one 5-4 and dropped the second game in extra innings 1-0 at Simpson Field in Redding Calif.
Game 1 – Park Gilbert 5, Simpson 4
Behind six strong innings from starting pitcher Christian Smith, the Bucs pushed across the go ahead run in the top of the seventh to earn a one-run victory.
Smith who threw three shut out innings yesterday and had a complete game win against the Red Hawks a year ago was touched up for two runs in the first but the Bucs answered with three runs of its own in the top of the second.
After getting a couple of runners on and moving up on a wild pitch, Smith got a run home on a fielders choice, a wild pitch brought the second run home and Danielle Farinas singled home the third run in the inning. The Bucs were able to knock Simpson ace Kylee Poates out of the game with the three run barrage,
The Bucs would add on run number four in the third inning. After Ledezma Romero walked, Carolina Olivas tripled her home.
The Buc bats would go silent in the for the next three innings and Simpson would claw its way back into the game with so runs in the third and fifth innings. This would set the stage for the seventh.
With one out Romero and Elisa Garcia singled to set runners up at first and third. Then Olivas who tripled earlier, got the run home with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Romero to give the Bucs the lead.
Nicole Darby was called on to close the game out in the seventh and looked a little shaky at the start walking the leadoff hitter. But she settled down to get the next hitter to pop up and then induced an around-the-horn double play to end the game and pick up her first save.
Smith got her fourth win of the season as she scattered nine hits and three walks while striking out four.
Game 2 – Simpson 1, Park Gilbert 0
Game two featured another pitcher’s duel between Simpson hurler Jacquelyn Lujan and Park Gilberts’s Abril Nerey. Both pitchers only surrendered 1 hit through 10 innings.
In the 11th, the Bucs had their runner on their with one out and they tried to sneak a run home on a comebacker to the Lujan. When she made the throw to first Sorcha Walker tried to score but was thrown out at the plate for a double play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 11th, with the international tiebreaker runner on second, Simpson moved her to third with a bunt and then Ariel Schultzkump singled to bring home the winning run in walk off fashion.
Nerey was dominant for the weekend throwing 20.1 innings allowing only 8 hits and striking out 11.
Park Gilbert now has a quick turnaround for their final series of the season against Westcliff, in a series makeup of four games postponed to due inclement weather back in the second week of March. The games will be played Monday and Tuesday April 22-23 at Arizona Athletic Grounds. Both days the games will be played at 12 and 2 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Preston English
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