SAN BERNARDINO, CA - The Yotes avenged themselves versus the Wildcats in their three-game series this past weekend after being swept by them in a 4-0 series last season. The last time the Yotes swept a team was against the Lumberjacks of Cal Poly Humboldt in April of the 2022 season.
Game 1: CSUSB 2, Chico 1
In an altered schedule, the Yotes and the Wildcats only played one game to open their series instead of the usual doubleheader schedule. It was a tight game between these two squads, both defenses playing a stiff game.
Alyssa Martinez got on base for the Yotes in the bottom of the second and advanced to second on a sac bunt by
Bailey Wallace. Martinez was waived home on a single to center field by junior
Alexis Aguado. The junior earned an RBI, her third of the season, but would be tagged out in trying to advance to second.
After sending a ball over the fence but just foul, the second run for the Yotes came on a 2-2 homer down the left field line from
Tereise Tosi. The sophomore from Garden Grove has a team high of five homeruns and is four homeruns shy of a season-high she set last year with nine.
Samantha Vargas held the Wildcats scoreless through three innings. A walk paired with a stolen base and an error by the Yotes allowed the Wildcats to bring a runner in and avoid the shutout. Vargas pitched a full game and struck out two Wildcats to improve her record to 10-8 on the season.
Game 2: CSUSB 10, Chico 1
After allowing one Wildcat on base early in the game, Martinez assisted in a double play to end the first inning. The wildcats were back and ready to battle in the second. With only one out, the Wildcats loaded the bases.
Natalie Carlos was in the circle for the Yotes. Coming off a shutout performance against the Pioneers, Carlos caught one Wildcat looking and sat another down with three straight strikes to leave the runners stranded.
Kaylee Williamson led off for the Yotes in the second, getting a four-ball walk. Martinez laid down a sac bunt to advance Williamson to second but would get stranded after two Yotes strikeouts.
The third was a defining inning for the Yotes. Every Yote that stepped up to the plate in the third inning would make their way across home plate before the inning was over. They would put up all 10 of their runs and go through their entire lineup to make a statement. After a flyout to start the inning,
Brooke Brazill singled to center field on the first pitch she saw.
Alexis Aguado and
Shannon Galliano would both lay down bunts to load the bases. Tosi, Williamson and Martinez were all walked, giving them each an RBI and giving the Yotes the 3-0 lead.
Hayden Greene singled to left field to bring Tosi in to score.
Natalie Carlos came in to pinch hit and would reach on a fielder's choice to throw Williamson out at home. With the bases still loaded,
Alyssa Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to bring in another run. A base-clearing triple over the right fielder's head by Aguado put the Yotes up by nine. This is the second time this season Aguado hit a triple, her first coming back in the very first game of the season against Hawaii Hilo. A wild pitch by the Wildcats would tack on the 10
th run for the Yotes to give them their largest lead against any opponent and most runs scored this season.
With two outs in the fifth, the Wildcats recorded one run to avoid the shutout but a putout by Martinez would end the game in mercy rule fashion with a final score of 10-1. The Yotes racked up nine RBIs, three of them coming from Aguado, and 15 putouts. Tosi led the team with nine and was followed by
Veronica Garza from behind the plate who had three.
Game 3: CSUSB 5, Chico 0
The Yotes would use the momentum from the first game to give them energy for the last game of the series. With runners on first and third, Williamson stayed level-headed on a full count and loaded the bases but all three Yotes would be stranded on a strikeout at the plate.
Samantha Vargas stepped into the circle to pitch what would be her fifth shutout of the season. The junior from Grand Terrace allowed three hits, gave up two walks and struck six Wildcats out at the plate. With this win, Vargas is making her way up the rankings in the Yotes softball history books.
Tosi was walked in the bottom of the third and would advance to second on a wild pitch. Williamson was up next for the Yotes and after being hit by a pitch would take her base. On a passed ball by the Wildcats, both Tosi and Williamson would advance into scoring position. Martinez stepped up to the plate and sent a ball high over the center field wall for a homer on a full count. She picked up three RBIs on her second homerun of the season.
After already coming across home plate, in her fifth inning at-bat, Tosi would hit a two-run homerun on the first pitch she saw for her second homerun of the day and the second homerun in the game. A putout from behind the plate by senior Garza would end the game to give the Yotes the win and the series sweep over the Wildcats.
Up Next
The Yotes will look to carry this momentum and extend their win streak as they head up to Turlock, CA to compete in the Tournament of Champions. They'll play in four games this weekend with two of their opponents ranking in the top half of their conference standings. Play will begin on Friday, March 31
st at 11:30 AM against Simon Fraser and then again at 7 PM. They will continue competition on Saturday, April 1
st against the Montana State Billings at 11:30 AM followed by Azusa Pacific at 2 PM. The Yotes will wrap up the Tournament of Champions facing the Western Washington Vikings on Sunday at 10 AM. You can follow the action with the live stats here on our website!
To see the full CSUSB women's softball schedule, click HERE.
