Bears sweep second consecutive tournament, improve to 12-1 on season
Phillip Downey/File
Whether it be a wire-to-wire contest or a tension-filled nail-biter, teams will take wins any way they can. While moral victories are certainly prevalent in the world of sports as well, the biggest difference between a postseason berth and being left out is often determined by one vital statistic — winning percentage. It’s no secret: as Oakland Raiders’ former owner Al Davis puts it, “Just win baby.”
The No. 21 Cal softball team (12-1) has experienced a variety of outcomes at the start of its season, ranging from walk-off celebrations to hitting the showers early via the run-rule. Despite some ups and downs, the Bears have found ways to tack on another win nearly every time they take the field. Having lost just once all season and riding a five-game win streak, the team entered play at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II as a squad to fear.
It all started on Friday afternoon against Oklahoma State (8-7) when the Bears continued their run of dominance, run-ruling the Cowgirls 9-1 after putting up five quick runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Led by sophomore Lindsay Rood’s three hits out of the leadoff spot, Cal put up runs on the scoreboard in every inning, setting the tone early when Rood strategically scored from second on a groundout in the opening frame. Senior catcher Annie Aldrete tacked on three RBIs, including a two-run single in the Bears’ big fifth inning that silenced any thoughts of a Cowgirl comeback.
Saturday’s early matchup provided Cal a date with Louisville (8-6) phenom Maryssa Becker, arguably the team’s most dangerous hitter and one of the top pitchers in the country. Having already used star pitcher Zoe Conley against Oklahoma State, coach Diane Ninemire started sophomore Kourtney Shaw to counter Becker, who finished the game 1-for-3 out of the third slot in Louisville’s lineup.
Both pitchers kept pace until the third inning, when the Cardinals’ defense faltered on three consecutive plays, leaving the door open for another offensive outburst. Junior Kobie Pettis and redshirt senior Vanessa Alvarez smacked back-to-back RBI doubles as Cal grabbed a 5-0 lead against Becker. None of the runs charged to Becker’s record were earned.
After Shaw ran into some trouble of her own in the bottom of the third, seniors Katie Sutherland-Finch and Stephanie Trzcinski picked her up and kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard for 4 and two-thirds innings, with Sutherland-Finch picking up her fourth win of the year in a 5-2 victory.
The combination of Conley’s tireless arm against a winless-to-that-point Nebraska team (2-10), the Bears’ next opponent, resulted in exactly what followers of Cal have come to expect. There’s a saying in basketball: when you’re hot, you get the shooter’s roll. Well, when you’re Zoe Conley pitching in early 2017, you’re flat-out dominating. Cal’s pitchers surrendered just three combined runs in the first three games this weekend, as the Bears cruised to a 2-0 win against the Cornhuskers behind Conley’s seven-strikeout shutout in seven innings — fitting for her seventh win of the year.
That’s been the theme for most of this season: outstanding pitching followed by just enough offense to propel the Bears to victory. Sunday’s finale with Ohio State (7-5), however, deviated from that trend — at least for the moment. Pitching for a third consecutive day, Conley surrendered four runs — three earned — in 4 and one-third innings, but was picked up by Trzcinski, who yet again kept Cal’s opponents off the scoreboard.
Knotted at 4-4 heading into the seventh inning, Trzcinski gave her teammates a chance to bring home the tournament sweep with a scoreless inning. Pettis set the stage with a leadoff double, and senior Khala Taylor, who walked off last weekend against Kent State with a game-winning single, repeated her magic once again with another one.
There’s clearly no stopping the Bears, winners of nine straight, as tournament-play heads into full swing. Their winning percentage stands at .923 — a sign of big things ahead for this year’s team.
Josh Yuen covers softball. Contact him at jyuen@dailycal.org.
The Daily Californian