SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino softball team won its third consecutive game to open the 2024 season in nailbiting fashion on Saturday afternoon, knocking off Montana State Billings 9-7 in non-conference action at the CSUSB Softball Park.
The win was CSUSB's second victory of the day, after the Yotes downed Hawaii Pacific 11-3 in five innings in the morning.
The Coyotes were the designated away team as the result of a last minute venue change, and batted first in the contest.
Junior Emilie Lapeña (Buena Park, Calif.) got the Yotes on the board first in the top of the first inning on an RBI single, putting San Bernardino ahead 1-0.
Montana State Billings answered in the bottom of the second, taking the lead on a two-run home run, but Coyote junior
Tereise Tosi (Garden Grove, Calif.) responded in the top of the third with a two-run dinger of her own, her second homer of the doubleheader, giving the Yotes the lead back at 3-2.
The Yellowjackets scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to regain a one-run lead, but the Yotes exploded for four runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead for good at 7-4. Sophomore
Mia Escujuri (Chino Hills, Calif.) leveled the score with an RBI sacrifice fly, followed by a two-run single from Lapeña and an RBI base hit from junior
Bri Goris (Chino, Calif.).
MSUB got one run back in the sixth on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 7-5, and the Yotes answered with a pair of insurance runs on RBI singles from Lapeña and Goris. The runs proved to be vital, as the Yellowjackets got a pair in the bottom of the seventh, but stranded a pair of runners as the Coyotes were able to close out the victory.
In the circle, reliever
Samantha Vargas (Grand Terrace, Calif.) was credited with the win, throwing four innings and striking out a pair. She improves to 2-0 on the young season.
Lapeña was the star for the Yotes offensively, going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored in the win. San Bernardino notched 16 hits en route to the victory, with two each from Escujuri, Tosi, Goris,
Brooke Brazill (Clovis, Calif.),
Shannon Galliano (San Mateo, Calif.), and
Lindsey Marschall (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.).
The Yotes were originally scheduled to play their final game of the CUI Kickoff Classic on Sunday against the hosts from Concordia University Irvine, but that game has already been postponed due to weather. Instead, San Bernardino will return to the diamond on Monday afternoon with a doubleheader against Hawaii Pacific, weather permitting.
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