CARSON – After having been in search for the 2020 version of herself that landed her a CCAA All-Star,
Alyssa Olague may have found her facing No. 22 Chico State Friday.
The Cal State Dominguez Hills junior right-hander tamed the Wildcats with 23 strikeouts on the day, including a career-high 15 in game one, and did not issue any walks as the two teams split the doubleheader at Toro Diamond.
The Toros rode to a 5-2 win in game one, but the 'Cats claimed the nightcap 2-0 to split the doubleheader.
With those 15 strikeouts, Olague came up just a strikeout short from tying the program's single-game record set by Lauren Harper in 2011.
Game 1: CSUDH 5, CHICO 2
It was all about Olague in game one. While she gave up only three hits, the first Wildcat hit came in the fourth, a double down the left field line. The other two knocks were in the seventh, one of them which was a two-run home run.
The offense, meanwhile, entered the series knowing they would be facing 2019 CCAA Pitcher of the Year Brooke Larsen, who entered the series with a 1.46 ERA but had a bit of a struggle against first-place Cal State San Marcos last weekend in Chico. That ERA climbed further up thanks to the Toros starting with
Maiya Lopez hitting a leadoff home run in the second inning.
The next inning, though, Larsen gave up two unearned runs.
Kianna Abellera and
Claudia Valencia led off with back-to-back singles. Abellera scored on an error and Valencia scored the second run on Lopez's single to left-center.
In the fourth,
Kaylee Hull drew a leadoff walk and eventually scored on
Alex Davis' single to left. Davis would give the Toros a 5-0 lead when she took advantage of Chico's third error of the game.
Game 2: CHICO 2, CSUDH 0
Olague got off to another great start in the second round. She struck out the side in the first and limited the 'Cats to a single in the first three frames. She ran into trouble in the fourth despite striking out the first two batters. She surrendered a solo home run to Nina Revoir, who is second in the conference in home runs, and then back-to-back hits to fall behind 2-0.
Ashley Wies took over in the fifth and was stellar, surrendering just a hit and an error while striking out four. She even got a plate appearance in the seventh inning in which the Toros attempted a rally with two out. Hull got a walk and Wies pinched hit and had a seven-pitch battle against starter Katelyn Oldwin, which resulted a clutch base hit that ricohetted off the pitcher's glove. Davis, too, had an eight-pitch fight at the plate to keep the game alive, but she got rung up on an outside pitch to end it.
The two teams wrap the series up Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
