The Long Beach State softball team swept Pacific with a 6-1 win to close out the regular season Saturday afternoon at Bill Simoni Field.
The 49ers (34-19, 15-6 Big West Conference), who have won five straight and eight of their last 10 games, remained in third place in the league standings, however, as Cal Poly and Cal State Fullerton also swept its weekend series.
Freshman Taylor Petty (15-4) earned her 15th win, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out seven.
The Beach erupted for 11 hits on the day led by senior Danielle Linke, who went 3-for-4 with a home run. Classmate Brianna Goad chipped in a pair of singles, while senior Jennifer Griffin drove in two.
LBSU jumped out to an early lead, putting up five runs in the top of the third. Linke and junior Bridgette Pagano drew back-to-back walks to start the inning and quickly came around to score as Griffin drove a 1-1 offering to the gap in left-center for her team-leading 17th double.
Senior Jonae Perez followed with a single, and an error on the same play by Pacific left fielder Lauren Weyman allowed Griffin to cross the plate. Perez eventually scored on an RBI single by Goad.
The ‘Niners tacked on one more in the sixth frame as Linke led off with her 11th career home run.
The Tigers (18-34, 3-18 Big West) scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth when Briana Santos’ sacrifice fly drove in Paige Emerson, who opened the inning with a triple.
Long Beach State finds out if it will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the selection show airs Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
Women’s golf
LBSU finishes 17th
The Long Beach State women’s golf team improved by 11 strokes in Saturday’s final round at the NCAA West Regional to finish the day with an 11-over-par 299 in Tempe, Ariz.
The 49ers finished the 54-hole regional in 17th place with a three-day total of 44-over 908 at the Karsten Golf Course.
Arizona State (842) won the team title by 19 strokes over second-place Southern California (861) and 26 shots over third-place LSU (868).
Senior All-American Kay Hoey was the top finisher for LBSU as she tied for 18th place with three other players. Hoey shot an even-par 72 to close out her collegiate career, sinking four birdies and four bogeys to finish with a tournament total of a 1-over 217.
“Hats off to Kay Hoey for an outstanding collegiate career,” LBSU head coach Sue Ewart said. “We wish her well for her continued success knowing we’ll always be part of her life.”
Carlota Ciganda (206) of Arizona State won the individual crown by one stroke over Jennifer Song (207) of USC and two shots over Jane Chin (208) of UC Irvine and Juliana Murcia (208) of host Arizona State.
LBSU freshman Lee Lopez fired a 3-over 75 to finish tied for 43rd. Lopez recorded just one birdie for the day that came at the par-5 No. 5 hole. She also had four bogeys for the round. Lopez finished the tournament with a 7-over 223.
Sophomore Reina Rogers carded a 7-over 79 to tie for 94th as she had one birdie and eight bogeys. Rogers’ three-day total was a 21-over 237.
Fellow classmate Lindsey McAtee recorded her best round of the tournament with a 1-over 73 to move up in six spots in the standings to tie for 94th. McAtee’s scorecard for the final round was highlighted by one birdie and one bogey on the front nine and one birdie and two bogeys on the back nine. McAtee finished the tournament at 22-over 238.
Junior Brenda Chhuor shot an 83 to finish tied for 101st. Chhuor finished with a three-day total of 28-over 244.
“The team played much better today though they still struggled at times,” Ewart said. “Hopefully they take this experience into next year and we’ll have a better outcome.”
Women’s tennis
LBSU ousted in first round of NCAAs
Long Beach State dropped a close doubles point, and then fell in three singles matches in a 4-0 loss to No. 25 Louisiana State University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 50 49ers (18-8) were defeated in No. 1 doubles by No. 17 Megan Falcon and Mykala Hedburg, 8-0, but Rachel Manasse and Anais Dallara rallied from a 5-2 deficit to even doubles with an 8-6 win.
Hannah Grady and Julie Luzar, competing together for the first time in doubles, went the distance with Nicole Kantor and Staten Spencer, heading to a tiebreaker before falling, 8-6.
No. 13 Falcon defeated Grady in her final match, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, and LSU clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 3 and a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 6.
Manasse forced Hedberg to a third set at No. 2 singles when the match was concluded.
Track and field
Lone representative O’Connor places 7th in heptathlon
Junior Tayler O’Connor (San Mateo, Calif.) finished seventh overall in the heptathlon with a career-high 4,708 points at the Big West Conference Multi-Events Championship at Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine.
O’Connor, who posted two season bests and one personal record on the second day of competition Saturday, established the eighth-highest heptathlon point total in school history.
O’Connor started the day with a sixth-place finish in the long jump, leaping a season-best 17-06.25.
She continued to put up solid performances, taking fourth in the javelin with a season-long distance of 108-10. O’Connor wrapped up the two-day meet with a lifetime-best 2:28.58 in the 800-meter run, coming in ninth place.
The Long Beach State track and field team will return to Irvine next weekend for the Big West Championships, May 15 and 16.