Softball, Sports

LBSU finishes 3-2 in Fresno State Tournament

The Long Beach State softball team wrapped up its first tournament of the season Sunday, defeating Fresno State in extra innings and bringing its record to 3-2 on the year.

The 49ers traveled up north on Friday for the Fresno State Tournament, where they played five games in three days. They started out the tournament with a doubleheader, leading off with Sacramento State in the morning and facing Toledo in the nightcap.

Against Sacramento State, the 49ers took a 4-2 win thanks to Alisha Rosen’s two-run double in the fifth inning. Starting pitcher sophomore Erin Jones-Wesley pitched a complete game and struck out a career-high 11 batters — keeping the game close just long enough to give the offense a chance to put up some runs. It would be the only loss of the tournament for Sacramento State, which went on to win four straight and take the tournament title.

In their second game, the 49ers were on the other end of a 4-2 score, as Toledo capitalized on LBSU mistakes to take the win. Long Beach State had three errors that resulted in two unearned runs for freshman pitcher Amanda Hansen, who threw all seven innings but was credited with the loss despite only giving up only two earned runs.

On Saturday, the ‘NIners cruised to a 5-1 victory in a rematch with Toledo. Jones-Wesley was once again the start of the game, as she threw her second complete game and struck out another nine batters in the process. She allowed only five hits and settled in nicely after giving up a run in the first inning.On offense, a team effort led to five runs scored by five different players.

The 49ers had a rough go in game two of the Saturday doubleheader, losing 8-0 to North Dakota State. Hansen started her second game of the tournament and was able to keep it within one run for four innings, but began to unravel in the fifth and was taken out after allowing her third run of the game. With the 49er bats unable to get anything going, North Dakota State put the game away for good, scoring five runs in the sixth inning.

In the tournament finale, LBSU won a thriller against the host school, Fresno State. Leilani Tupua-Tautalatasi got the Niners on the board early, hitting a solo home run in the first inning. The ‘Niners, however, were unable to get anything else going against senior pitcher Michelle Moses, who hit a solo blast of her own to tie the game at one.

The pitching duel between Moses and Jones-Wesley (who threw her third complete game of the tournament) was broken wide open in the top of the eighth when junior Nalani St. Germain hit a three-run shot over the left field wall. The 49ers never looked back and closed out the bottom of the inning to take the game 4-1. It was the second extra-inning loss for Fresno State in as many days, as the Bulldogs were on the short end of a 2-1 heartbreaker against Sacramento State the day before.

Jones-Wesley was the star of the tournament for LBSU, going 3-0 with three complete games. She struck out 24 batters and finished the weekend with a 1.64 ERA. Tupua-Tautalatasi was the leader on offense, collecting seven hits and amassing 12 total bases while scoring four runs and driving in another two. The 49ers will take a 3-2 record to Las Vegas this weekend where they will play in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic. 


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