By Jessica Olvera, Co-Sports Editor
Editor’s Note: The writer played for the Toro softball team in 2018-2019.
The Toro softball team continues its dominance against opponents, as it wins its first conference series this season against San Francisco State at home this past weekend. Its record currently sits at 14-6 overall and 7-3 in conference play.
In a four-game series against the Gators, the team won both games in a doubleheader on Friday by a score of 6-5 in game one, and 4-3 in extra innings for game two.
In-game one of the series, the Gators took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off of a leadoff walk and double, but the Toros answered back to even the score at one in the bottom half of the inning when senior infielder Chenoa Au, hit a solo shot over the right-center fence. The Toros took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth off of two hits and one error from the Gators.
At the top of the fifth, the Toros added three more runs as freshman Dafne Bravo and Alex Davis each drew walks and came around to score when Au hit her second home run of the day to give her team a 6-1 lead.
The Toros gave up four runs on four hits and an error in the top of the sixth as the Gators cut the lead to one run. Junior pitcher Alyssa Olague came in relief for sophomore pitcher Ashley Wies and was able to retire the batters in order in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win and record her fourth save of the season.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Toros collected its fourth walk-off, eighth one-run game win, and fourth extra-inning game of the season, by a score of 4-3.
The team took the lead in the bottom of the fourth off of Bravo’s two-run home run to left field. The Gators came back to even the score at two in the seventh on two hits and a Toro error and took the lead in the top of the eighth off a solo shot over the centerfield fence.
CSUDH responded in the bottom of the frame when Bravo hit an RBI single up the middle to tie the game and won off of Alex Davis’s walk-off single to left field to score senior outfielder Jessica Lane.
On Saturday, the Toros split the doubleheader with the Gators as they won the first game 9-1 in five innings and lost the second game by a score of 9-3.
The Toros hit five home runs on the day, with four coming in the first game. The team scored two runs in the first inning as Au hit a single up the middle and came around to score off of a two-run home run to right-center from senior utility player, Jade Loe.
The Gators scored one run in the top of the third but the Toros responded with three more runs as Au hit her third home run of the series to give her team the 5-1 lead.
The slugfest continued as Loe and Bravo hit back-to-back home runs to make it a 9-1 lead and end the game via the mercy rule. The home run marked Loe’s second of the day and third of the season.
The Toros fell in the series finale by six runs, as the team only scored three runs in the first inning off of Bravo’s second home run of the day, third of the series, and fourth of the season.
The Gators responded with one run in the second, two in the third and six in the seventh for a 9-3 win.
The Toros are set to continue conference play as they travel to Turlock, CA to face Stanislaus State for a four-game series starting on Friday, March 6 at 3 p.m.
