LBSU Escapes With 3-2 Win Over Cal In Nine Innings

LONG BEACH - The California softball team was two outs away from a doubleheader sweep over Long Beach State, but a rally in the bottom of the ninth allowed The Beach to sneak past the Golden Bears with a 3-2 win from the LBSU Softball Complex on Saturday.

The Golden Bears fell to 17-16 on the year after splitting Saturday's doubleheader. 

Cal trailed 1-0 for the majority of the contest, but kept battling and finally broke through to tie it in the seventh inning. Trailing by one with one out, Diamond Holland provided a spark when she stole second and came all the way around to score, tying the game at one, thanks to two LBSU errors. 

In the bottom of the seventh, LBSU loaded the bases with one out. Chloe Romero entered the circle after pitching a complete game earlier in the day in Game 1 and got the Bears out of the jam to send the contest into extra innings. 

It looked like Cal would head home with a pair of wins on Saturday after D'Asha Saiki led off the top of the ninth with a solo homer to right, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead. The second victory proved to be just out of the Bears' grasp as LBSU put together a rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Beach notched a double to tie the game, and an ensuing single ended it in a walk-off win for The Beach. 

Long Beach State scored first off of a Cal fielding error in the bottom of the second for the game's only run until the seventh. 

Similar to Romero in Game 1, Sona Halajian was stellar in the circle in Game 2. Halajian went six-plus innings, allowing one run on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. 

Makena Smith doubled, while Sabrina Nunez, Mikayla Coelho, Kacey Zobac and Kennedy Thomas each singled in addition to Saiki's home run. 

The Bears return to Berkeley for the final series of the regular season, hosting No. 12 Oregon from May 13-15 at Levine Fricke-Field.