Softball Loses Heartbreaker 5-4 In Nine Innings To Southern Illinois

Saturday, February 7

Cathedral City, CA

1:00 PM

UC Riverside

Southern Illinois

Softball Loses Heartbreaker 5-4 In Nine Innings To Southern Illinois

2/8/2009 12:10:53 AM | Softball

The UC Riverside Softball Team lost one game to weather Saturday and one to Southern Illinois as rain cut into Day 2 of the Cathedral City Kickoff. UCR's game against Liberty will not be made up. When the Highlanders finally did take the field, they were doing so against a Southern Illinois team that topped No. 20 Long Beach State 7-1 the day before, but UCR (0-3) gave the Salukis (3-0) all they could handle.

The Highlanders got on the scoreboard first with a two-out two-run rally in the second inning. Kameron Hebenton plated two runners reaching on an error as Krystal Marquez and Jessica Vasser came around to score. The Salukis evened things up in the bottom of the second scoring two runs on a Chelsea Held homer off of UCR starter Marissa Alvidrez (0-2).

Alvidrez scored the Highlanders' third run of the game the following inning reaching on a hit by pitch and scoring as Brittany Keeney reached on an error. The junior right-hander threw a scoreless third, and UCR put their first two runners on in the fourth but couldn't capitalize.

Southern Illinois tied the score at three in their half of the fourth on a Katie Wilson homer, and went ahead 4-3 the following inning on a Wilson RBI single. With the Highlanders down to their last at bat in the top of the seventh still trailing by one, Alvidrez ripped a pitch over the center field wall for her first home run of the season.

The Salukis failed to score in their half of the seventh and the game went to extra innings. In the bonus frames, each team placed a runner on second to begin the inning, and it was Southern Illinois plating the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as Alicia Garza's RBI single scored the game-winner.

Alvidrez pitched all 8 and one third innings for UCR allowing just three earned runs and striking out nine. Danielle Glosson (2-0) picked up the win for the Salukis throwing six innings of two-hit relief and striking out 11.

Next up, the Highlanders host the aTen Construction Tournament with games against San Diego (Feb. 13 at 2 pm), Colorado State (Feb. 14 at 11:30 am), Tulsa (Feb. 13 a 2 pm) and San Diego again (Feb. 15 at 12:00 pm).