In front of a packed crowd, the Long Beach State softball team blew its chance to make a statement against one of the top programs in the country.
The 49ers (33-13) didn’t play particularly poorly in the double-header. They played No. 2 UCLA (41-4) fairly even throughout both games. They just weren’t good enough, however, and nothing characterized that more than the final inning of game one.
With the game tied at five in the bottom of the sixth, 49ers’ catcher Karli Sandoval crushed a solo homer to left, giving LBSU the lead late, with its ace in the circle ready to close it out. Erin Jones-Wesley was able to overcome erratic command with outstanding stuff all the way up to the final inning.
“Obviously, UCLA is a big school and when you have a lead going into the seventh, all we have to do is get three outs and we win,” Sandoval said.
Jones-Wesley walked the first batter in the seventh, hit the next one in the lower ankle, and finally loaded the bases with her 10th walk. Just one strike away from a convincing victory against the No. 2 team in the country, Jones-Wesley gave up a two-run single to Ally Carda, bringing the raucous crowd to a complete silence.
“It’s tough,” Sandoval said.
“[Jones-Wesley] struggled with her control,” head coach Kim Sowder said. “She’s throwing a lot of pitches right now. I’m glad we’ll have a four day break for her rest.”
The Bruins would add on three more runs, turning a thriller into a 10-6 laugher. Sowder said she considered pulling Jones-Wesley before the seventh inning but opted against it.
“She was having some shutdown innings and we decided to let her finish the game,” Sowder said.
The 49ers didn’t fare much better in the second game. Every LBSU home run was answered by a UCLA home run. Every outstanding defensive play by a 49er was answered by a terrific Bruin defensive play.
Starter Amanda Hansen, often overlooked because of Jones-Wesley, was terrific for the first three innings before coming undone in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. UCLA started timing her pitches better, and left fielder Gabrielle Maurice eventually connected on a three run homer. With an 8-1 victory, the Bruins extended two winning streaks: their overall season winning streak to eight and their winning streak over the 49ers to seven.
“It’s a hard one to swallow, but that’s the name of the game,” Sowder said. “We’re gonna bounce right back, and it’s gonna make us better, make us hungrier for next week. We want to have success.”
The 49ers will return to conference play this weekend with a three game series at Cal State Northridge starting with a double-header Saturday at noon. LBSU remains in first place in the Big West with a 10-2 record.