Four-Run First Pushes Cal Past LBSU, 7-1

LONG BEACH - A four-run first inning gave the California softball team all it needed to defeat Long Beach State, 7-1, in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Saturday from the LBSU Softball Complex.

The Golden Bears improved to 17-15 on the year.  

Chloe Romero earned her second complete game victory of the season, improving to 8-4 on the campaign. Her eight wins are tied for the team lead. Romero ended the game one strikeout shy of her career best with six punch outs. She allowed one earned run, one walk and four hits over the seven innings. 

Alexis Bishop got the Bears on the board in the first inning with a one-out double to left that scored Sabrina Nunez. Batting in the leadoff spot, Nunez singled to start the game, one of her two hits on the day. Makena Smith followed up Bishop's double with a three-run home run to put the Bears up, 4-0. It was Smith's team-best seventh home run of the season, and also her team-leading seventh game with multiple RBIs.

The Beach answered with an RBI double in the bottom of the second, cutting the Cal lead down to 4-1. 

Kacey Zobac led off the top of the fifth with a double. Diamond Holland came in as a pinch runner for Zobac and scored thanks to an RBI single by Mikayla Coelho.

Zobac later doubled again to start the top of the seventh, helping set the table for Bishop who padded Cal's lead with a two-run single that scored Nunez and Morgan Zamora. 

Game 2 will begin in approximately a half hour.