Patience Pays Off As Cypress Walks Help Stave off Elimination

Follow this weekend's State championship action LIVE

State Championship Brackets

by Andrew Wheeler, CCCFCA Sports Information

Bakersfield, CA -- The Cypress College Softball team staved off elimination early Saturday evening. The Chargers were patient at the plate, and drew seven walks as they defeated Cosumnes River College (31-13-1) 5-2.

Cypress (38-9) put pressure on the Hawks early, drawing a trio of walks to leadoff the game. The Chargers only plated one though, getting a sacrifice fly from Jezz Portillo to make it 1-0. While the early walks didn't hurt the Hawks right away, trouble mounted in the top of the third, when Cypress drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. After working the count full Tobi Salzman, smoked a 3-2 pitch over the left-center field wall to make it 4-0.

While the Chargers were taking advantage of some free passes, Cosumnes River wasn't afforded the same opportunity. Taylor Pierce (20-5) walked just two batters through the first four innings and gave up just one hit in that span. The lone hit by the Hawks came in the bottom of the second, when Raechel Hooper roped a single to center field that just missed being a solo jack. Cosumnes would move a runner to second base in the bottom of the fourth after a leadoff walk by Amanda Horbasch and an ensuing groundout, but Horbasch never got any further.

Pierce would continue to hold the Hawks at bay until the bottom of the sixth inning. After a one-out single through the left side of the field by Christin Stein, Horbasch came to the plate and crushed 1-0 pitch over the left field fence to make it 4-2. Hanna Miller would follow that up with a single back up the middle of the field, but that was all the Hawks got, and Cypress quickly moved momentum back in their favor in the top of the seventh.

Salzman put a charge in a ball to lead off the inning for Cypress that was tracked down by Cosumnes left fielder Olivia Dibble. Two pitchers later, Portillo hit a no-doubter over the left-center field fence to put the Chargers up three, 5-2.

Pierce finished the game haven given up just four total hits, two runs, three walks, while fanning four. Portillo would go 2 for 3 with one run and two RBIs. Cypress will take on San Mateo in another elimination game at approximately 8:20 PM.