UCR Uses Bats To Take Two From Santa Clara

Wednesday, March 26

Santa Clara, CA

UC Riverside

Santa Clara

UCR Uses Bats To Take Two From Santa Clara

12/17/2008 8:05:04 PM | Softball

The UC Riverside softball team banged out 16 hits and scored 13 runs to take both games of a double-header from Santa Clara, 8-7 and 5-4 Wednesday afternoon. Sophomore designated player/ pitcher Marissa launched her team-leading eighth home run of the season in game one and pitched all seven innings to pick up the game two win for the Highlanders (14-19).

Alvidrez went 4-for-4 and drove in four in game one as the Highlander's top two hitters, senior right fielder April Murray and senior left fielder Roni Yee, each recorded two hits and scored two runs. In game two, junior first baseman Katie Curtis reached base four times and Murray stole two bases and scored two runs.

The Highlanders struck first in game one, as Murray came across on a Santa Clara (4-31) passed ball in the first inning to give UCR a 1-0 lead. Two innings later, Alvidrez hammered a two-run shot, bringing home Murray who had singled to lead off the inning, to put the Highlanders up 3-0. The UCR offense continued to click an inning later as Yee brought home two more UCR runs with a two-out base-hit to open up a 6-0 lead.

The Broncos answered with single runs in the fourth and sixth before the Highlanders put the game out of reach with two more runs in the top of seventh. Alvidrez singled to right to score Yee from second with no outs in the seventh, to pick up her fourth RBI of the game. Freshman second baseman Taylor Thomas later brought home the final UCR run with an RBI ground out to give the Highlanders an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

SCU then put together a rally off of UCR senior starter Christin Songer in seventh. But after the Broncos had cut the Highlander lead to 8-7, junior reliever Amanda Klimczak came in and recorded the final two outs to preserve the win. Songer (5-5) earned the victory after striking out three and allowing five earned runs in her 6.1 innings of work and Klimczak claimed her first career save.

In game two, UCR again jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Curtis brought home Murray with a two-out RBI single. The Highlanders then went up 5-0 after producing a four-run third. Senior third baseman Kristie Martinez brought home Murray with a sacrifice fly and Thomas followed with a double that scored Alvidrez and Curtis before one more Highlander came across on a Bronco error.

The lead stood at 5-0 until SCU took advantage of UCR errors in the fourth and fifth to pick up single runs and cut the Highlander lead to 5-2. After making it through the sixth and getting the first two batters in the seventh, Alvidrez ran into a little trouble in closing out the game. SCU used a walk, a single, and a double, all with two outs to bring two runs across and get within one, 5-4. Alvidrez buckled down and got the final batter to groundout to pick up the win.

Alvidrez improved to 4-5 after striking out three and allowing just three earned runs in her complete-game effort. Thomas finished with two RBI, Alvidrez extended her hitting streak to nine games, and with her two hits in game one and single in game two, Murray now owns a 10-game hitting streak.

The Highlanders return home to open Big West Conference play with a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara beginning with a double-header on Saturday and single game on Sunday.