The Long Beach State softball team endured a weekend of exhilaration and heartbreak in Tempe, where it concluded its season in the NCAA Regionals.
After a 4-2 loss to Syracuse on Friday, the 49ers (29-25, 16-5 Big West Conference) found themselves in the loser’s bracket of the Tempe Regional and one game away from elimination.
The ‘Niners put their season on the line against LIU-Brooklyn, the Northeast Conference champions. Following a perfect first inning by starting pitcher Erin Jones-Wesley, second baseman Cya Neal and center fielder Leilani Tupua-Tautalatasi each hit RBI singles and got the 49ers out to an early 2-0 lead.
Brooklyn answered in the top of the third with a home run from second baseman Paris Shipp that tied the game at two. Designated player Karli Sandoval put the ‘Niners back ahead with a home run of her own in the fourth, but that lead disappeared when Shipp tripled home a run and scored in the top of the fifth. It would take catcher Sarah Carrasco’s second home run in three games an inning later to get the score back to even.
Senior Taylor Petty, who had relieved Jones-Wesley an inning prior, pitched a perfect seventh and the 49ers had a chance to win it in the bottom of the inning when Tupua-Tautalatasi doubled down the left field line. Emily Gregorio, who was pinch running for third baseman Hannah De Gaetano, went tried to score on the play but was tagged out at the plate, ending the inning. LBSU and Brooklyn took the game into extras with a score of 4-4.
Brooklyn was unable to do anything in the top of the eighth, but the ‘Niners blew yet another chance to score in the bottom half. With runners on first and second and one out, a flyout by left fielder Megan Denio and a popout by shortstop Shayna Kimbrough killed the rally and kept the game going.
In the top of the ninth, Petty got the first two outs but then walked a pair and was replaced by Jones-Wesley, who immediately gave up a single to left field. That would have put Brooklyn in lead, but left fielder Bree Stephan threw a strike to Carrasco, who got the out at home and ended the top half.
Neal hit a leadoff single for the 49ers, but after De Gaetano and Sandoval both flied out to center, it looked as if another runner would be stranded on base. That was when Tupua-Tautalatasi laced a double to right field and drove home the winning run in walk-off fashion.
The ‘Niners didn’t have much time to celebrate, however, as their win earned them an evening rematch with Syracuse. Already taxed from 5.1 innings of work in the previous game, Jones-Wesley took the start. After giving up a run in the first, she cruised through six scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and striking out five.
An RBI double by Nalani St. Germain in the fourth made it one-all and the score would remain that way through the seventh. The ‘Niners would then go into extra innings for the second time in the day, just one run away from elimination or advancement yet again.
The drama of the Syracuse game, however, didn’t quite match up with that of the Brooklyn game. The anxiety of runners left on base and plays at the plate didn’t carry over, as the Orange took the lead on a solo home run by first baseman Jasmine Watson just one batter into extras.
That 2-1 lead would hold, as LBSU went 0 for 3 in the bottom of the eighth and saw its season end on a groundout to third.
Few things are as deflating an extra-inning loss and elimination from a chance to win a national title, but it came on the heels of a successful season. The 49ers overcame a disappointing start to win their first Big West title since 2008.
Eight players earned All-Big West honors as well. Jones-Wesley, Petty and Neal all made the first team and De Gaetano, Tupua-Tautalatasi and Sandoval were named to the second team. Honorable mentions included Kimbrough and Denio.
Neal, a junior who is the mother of two children, also earned a spot on the 2012 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I All-West Region Second Team. That is an impressive nomination considering that the team includes members from a Pac-12 conference that boasts eight ranked teams, including No. 1 California and No. 2 Arizona State.
Next season may be a long way off for head coach Kim Sowder and her 49ers, but the hopes and expectations will be high when the first pitch is thrown. Only four seniors are graduating from this year’s squad, with the key losses being Petty and Denio. Everybody else is returning, including 21-game winner Jones-Wesley and the top four 49er hitters.
Until then, they will have to live with the sour taste of defeat in their mouths. This was the second consecutive year that LBSU was eliminated during regional play.