The Pride

Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Tim Moore Freshman pitcher, Ashley Salvino works her way to seven strikeouts in CSUSM's 3-2 win over Williams University, Saturday

CSUSM Softball played six games in five days in an extremely busy week of play. The Cougars capped of the week with four wins in their final four games of the Sun West Tournament in Orange. The wins put the Cougars at a perfect 6-0 record in the round-robin tournament.

The Cougars started the week off on Wednesday with a doubleheader against the #10 ranked Vanguard Lions.

In game one, the Cougars' defense kept it locked up at zero until allowing a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the sixth, driving in two runs. The Cougars would not be able to recover from the plate - losing the game by a score of 2-0.

Game two brought increased run-production from both teams. Vanguard struck first in the bottom of the third, with a four-run inning. The Cougars put up one run in the top of the fourth inning, before seizing the lead in sixth. The sixth inning saw a four-run Cougar rally sparked by Sophomore, Erica Coelho. The Cougars took advantage of Vanguard errors to take the 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. Vanguard came back in the sixth to score two runs, bringing the score to 6-5. A scoreless top of the seventh inning for the Cougars gave the win and the doubleheader sweep to Vanguard.

The tough luck would not last long, as the Cougars made the trip to Orange to participate in their final four games in the Sun West Tournament. The tournament, hosted by Chapman University took place at Hart Park and featured talent from across the nation. In their final four games, the Cougars saw Avila University of Kansas City, Missouri; University of St. Thomas of St. Paul, Minnesota; Tufts University of Medford, Massachusetts; and Williams College of Williamstown Massachusetts.

The Cougars kicked thing off with a bang on Friday, beating up on Avila University with an 8-0 mercy rule shutout. Junior Melissa Lerno, threw the second no-hitter in the history of the school's softball program, striking out 11 of 16 batters faced.

In the second game on Friday, the Cougars faced off against the University of St. Thomas and struck first in the top of the fourth inning, scoring three runs, sparked by a lead-off home run by Erica Coelho. The Cougars scored two more runs in the top of the seventh, improving their lead to 5-0. Freshman pitcher, Brenna Sandberg fought off a three-run comeback attempt by St. Thomas in the bottom of the seventh, closing out the game with a 5-3 win.

Continued...

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