Carson, CA -- What a difference a “Senior Day” ceremony makes. After being on the short end of both games yesterday and falling in today's opener, the Toros celebrated senior Araceli Martinez's (Downey, CA/Warren HS) “Senior Day” before the tailend of the double-header. The CSUDH softball team then sent the four-year Toro out with a win in her final regular season home game in Cardinal & Gold with a 7-4 victory, turning the tables on visiting Sonoma State, which took the opener, 8-3. With the split, CSUDH moves to 21-21, 9-13 CCAA, while SSU now is 23-26, 9-15 CCAA.
The Seawolves used a base hit, two walks and a Toro error to score its first run in the 1st off game two starter Michelle Medina (Lakewood, CA/St. Joseph HS), taking a 1-0 lead after 1/2 an inning of play. CSUDH, however, answered with two in their 1st-inning at-bat, courtesy of a Jennifer Martinez (La Habra, CA/Cal State Long Beach) sacrifice fly and an A. Martinez RBI groundout.
After SSU tied the game in the 2nd, CSUDH took the lead back in their at-bat as Katie Garcia (Riverside, CA/La Sierra HS) singled home pinch-runner Jessica Foerster (Buena Park, CA/Fullerton JC), who entered for Bri Mahr (Fullerton, CA/Cypress JC) after Mahr sent a booming double off the center field fence. After the Seawolves regained the lead using four-consecutive singles in the 4th, CSUDH responded with four runs on five hits in the 5th, the big blow coming on a Christine Bathauer (Torrance, CA/West HS) 2RBI double.
That would be enough for starter Medina (5-4), who took home the complete-game win to prevent the series sweep at the hands of the Seawolves, while SSU starter Simone Brandalise (6-12) tossed 5.0 innings in the loss.
Jodi Nakawatase (Downey, CA/Millikan HS), making her 1st career collegiate start in the circle in the opener, helped herself in her first at-bat of the early game, hammering a 1-1 offering from SSU starter Lindsay Emmel over the center field fence for a quick 1-0 lead.
After a Toro error gave SSU its first run of the game in the 3rd, Garcia gave the Toros a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 3rd by turning on a 2-2 Emmel sitter and blasting her first home run of the year to right-center. CSUDH had a chance to break the game open by loading the bases with one out, but Emmel fanned J. Martinez on three pitches and induced Jennifer Frazier (Buena Park, CA/Kennedy HS) to pop out to 2B.
SSU used that momentum one at-bat later, banging five singles and capitalizing on two Toro errors to plate six runs and take a 7-2 lead in SSU's eventual 8-3 triumph. Nakawatase took the hard-luck loss, allowing just one earned run, while Emmel notched her 3rd-consecutive win against CSUDH, fanning eight.
In between games, CSUDH celebrated lone senior Araceli Martinez in a “between games” ceremony, honoring the fourth-year senior who earned NCAA Far West Region All Tournament accolades in the 2006 playoffs, helping lead the Toros to the Championship Series. Martinez finished her final twinbill at Toro Diamond with a 2-for-6 effort and two RBI.
The Toros play out the rest of their regular season on the road, starting with two at UC San Diego on Saturday, April 14, 2007.
