Softball Rolls in 9-1 Win Over No. 19 Sonoma State to Open CCAA Championship Tournament

Krista Gould had plenty to shout about after belting her first home run of the year over the left field fence in the 9-1 win

Box Score

Box score

STOCKTON -- Both the familiar and unfamiliar took center stage this afternoon as third-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros, making the program's first-ever appearance in the CCAA Tournament, rolled to a 9-1 win over second-seeded and 19th-ranked Sonoma State to open play in the championships. Junior Krista Gould (pictured) belted her first home run of the year, a 3-run blast in the fourth, to propel CSUDH to the win.

The Toros advance to the winner's bracket where they will meet fourth-seeded Chico State tomorrow at 2:00 pm, a 5-0 winner over top-seeded and defending tournament champion CS Monterey Bay in the late game.

Both starters, CSUDH's Lauren Harper and SSU's Samantha Lipperd, were on their respective games early, combining for no-hit softball through the first three innings.

That all changed in the fourth frame when Jackie Reyes drew a two-out walk on four pitches, before Michelle Miranda lined the game's first hit to left field on a 2-1 offering.

That set the stage for Gould, who picked a perfect opportunity for her first home run of the year, a 3-run blast to left field to give CSUDH a 3-0 lead.

SSU, which took four-of-five from the Toros in the regular season but dropped to 38-16 on the year, answered with a solo blast by Ashley Britton in the bottom of the frame, only to have CSUDH answer with three runs in the fifth, the big blow coming on an Amber Angel 2RBI double.

The Toros continued to swing the hot bat, adding a single run in the sixth on a Katie Jordan sacrifice fly, and two more runs in the seventh on an Angel 2-run home run to dead center, her ninth home run of the year.

Those runs were more than enough for the tandem of Harper (10-6) and Stephanie Jimenez (Save, 5), who combined to limit the high-powered Seawolf offense to just four hits on the afternoon.

CSUDH benefited from four illegal pitches from Lipperd, including two in the first three innings of play and two in the sixth.

The Toros, now 32-19, advance to tomorrow's winner's bracket, where they will face the Chico State at 2:00 pm in the opening game. In the regular season, the Wildcats took 3-of-4 from CSUDH in Chico.

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