Feb. 18, 2006

Box Score

Tucson, Ariz.The Pacific Tigers softball team fell to Missouri by the score of 3-2 on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Wildcat Tournament.

With the loss the Tigers fell to 3-5 on the season.

Heading into the second game of the day against the No. 18 team in the country in the Missouri Tigers, Pacific responded from its first game defeat with one of the best played games this season, despite falling 3-2 in the contest.

The game did not really get started until the fifth inning with the scoreless tie being broken first by Pacific by pushing across a single run in the inning with two outs. Sophomore Mandy Hickman (Phoenix, Ariz.) took advantage of the first mistake in the game by either team, making her way all the way to second base on a ball that was hit to short. With the error, the Tigers were in business as senior Brittany Hyams (Huntington Beach, Calif.) knocked Hickman to third on a slapper to third that bounced high enough for both runners to be safe. Still with two outs, junior Gina Carbonatto (Lake Stevens, Calif.) connected for her second hit of the day, drilling a shot through the left side that scored Hickman and gave the Tigers the first run of the game.

With a one run lead, the bats of Missouri came alive, taking advantage of a hit and a walk to position itself to take back control of the game. Kathy Masterson, Missouri's catcher, responded with two outs drilling a shot to dead center, posting a three run round tripper in the scorebook and giving Missouri a two run lead.

Down to their final at bats, the Tigers came out thundering in the bottom of the seventh inning, spurred on by a leadoff, first pitch, triple by junior Lizzie Hagen (Anaheim, Calif.), that hit the top of the center field wall, a mere foot from being a solo home run. The Tigers did not waste Hagen's triple as sophomore Lauren Weyman (Carlsbad, Calif.) drove in her team leading eighth RBI of the season with a well placed ground out to second base. Another timely hit by Hickman gave the Tigers the tying run on the base paths. Hyams sacrificed sophomore Lauren Sandelin (Sedro-Wooley, Wash.), who had come in to run for Hickman, to second setting up a chance for the Tigers to tie the game with one hit.

With two outs, Carbonatto came to the plate and took the first pitch deep over the right field wall, only to watch the ball sail foul and out of play. With one strike, Carbonatto connected on a triple down the left field line, scoring Sandelin and putting the winning run at third, only to see the third base umpire call the ball foul. With two strikes, Carbonatto slapped the third pitch down the third base line, only to see it picked cleanly by Amanda Jo White, who threw on to first to end the game.

Senior Kristen Allen (Citrus Heights, Calif.) picked up the, her second loss of the week, after making one mistake pitch to Masterson in the sixth. Allen finished with five strikeouts in the game and surrendered 10 hits in the game. For Missouri, Megan Dennis went the whole way for the Tigers, giving up one earned run, seven hits, while striking out seven.

The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday, February 19, as they take on No. 3 Arizona in the final game of the Worth Wildcat Invitational. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm (12:00 pm PST).