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LINCOLN, Neb. – Was it really possible that the University of Maine softball team – the No. 8 seed in the NCAA regional tournament here, a squad that hadn’t gotten this far in the postseason in 10 years – could really be in a scoreless game in the sixth inning against the No. 2 team in the nation?
Yes, it was. Heading into the bottom of the sixth with California coming to the plate, a huge upset seemed possible. The Black Bears were getting stellar defense and a solid performance from pitcher Sarah Bennis.
Two pitches into the inning, things fell apart for Maine. Three hits and an error later, the Golden Bears had an insurmountable lead.
Vicky Galindo’s one-out solo home run to right sparked Cal’s previously quiet offense to a 4-0 victory over the Black Bears in a first round game at Bowlin Field.
Maine, now 28-22, moves into the losers’ bracket to face No. 5 Iowa, which fell to No. 4 Mississippi State 2-1 in eight innings Thursday. The Bears and the Hawks play at 11 a.m.
Bennis, who held Cal to six hits, will likely start against Iowa but Maine coach Deb Smith said she would talk to pitching coach Jen Burton before making a decision. Regardless of who starts in the circle, Smith was encouraged by the team’s effort against the powerhouse Golden Bears.
“I don’t know if the entire team came in here thinking that we could win the game,” she said. “Today, knowing that they played well against the No. 2 team in the country, that’s a springboard for tomorrow. There is no reason that any one of the 23 girls on this roster shouldn’t believe they could take a game from Iowa tomorrow.”
Cal (47-11) moves on to play the Bulldogs at 3 p.m.
Cal’s Kristina Thorson (24-3) struck out 10 and limited Maine to two hits, both by Jess Brady.
Maine’s defense held off Cal through four innings with two double plays and a runner caught stealing to end the second. The Golden Bears had runners on first and second with two outs in the fourth, but Bennis got a groundout to end the threat.
The Black Bears tried to maintain their composure as the innings flew by with no score against the potent Golden Bears.
“You just have to keep your cool, keep throwing strikes, keep your team in it,” said Bennis (10-10), who walked two and struck out one. “That was pretty much my mindset. Hopefully the bats would come around.”
Galindo changed the game when she drove a one-out, 0-1 inside dropball over the 200-foot fence in right field. Cal had three hits to that point and hadn’t been able to move anybody past second base.
“We knew we were going to score,” Galindo said. “It was just us getting to calm down a little bit. … I was really nervous and I had a lot of adrenaline going.”
Maine’s defense struggled from there. After Galindo’s homer, Lindsay James hit a groundball single and moved to third when Haley Woods singled. Pinch runner Jessica Vernaglia took advantage of a wild pitch to go to second.
Kaleo Eldredge, the next batter, reached on a fielding error by Maine shortstop Brittany Cheney that allowed James to score and Vernaglia to move to third. Eldredge stole second, and Vernaglia crossed the plate on another wild pitch.
Jessica Pamanian then reached on a fielder’s choice when the Black Bears tried to catch Eldredge off third base. She escaped a rundown and eventually scored when Chelsea Spencer flied out to center field.
“The defense broke down a little … I think it was more a disappointment in themselves,” Smith said. “Once the first run was scored they didn’t quite rebound mentally as well.”
The Black Bears had their Nos. 2, 3 and 4 batters up in the seventh, but Thorson struck out two and got a groundout to end the game.
“[Catcher Haley Woods] mixed the pitches really well,” she said. “She was mixing them up and down, mixing them in and out and also adding a little off-speed here and there.”
Thorson struck out six in the first three innings. The Black Bears got their first chance to score when Brady led off the fourth with a bunt single. But she was called out after she tried to steal second, overslid the base and was tagged out.
Maine’s Molly McKinney was hit by a pitch in the fifth but was thrown out at second when Amy Kuhl tried to bunt her over. Brady hit another infield single in the sixth but was again caught stealing.
“Jess has the green light whenever she wants to go … we tried some hit and runs,” Smith said. “It was just one of those things, we knew we had nothing to lose. You have to go out and attack. … We just couldn’t quite get that run to second. I wouldn’t change a thing. I would still give her the green light.”
GOLDEN BEARS 4, BLACK BEARS 0
Maine (28-22) California (47-11)
Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI
Brady, cf 3 0 2 0 Galindo, 3b 3 1 1
Dulkis, 3b 3 0 0 0 James, lf 3 1 0
Cheney, ss 3 0 0 0 Woods, c 2 0 0
McKinney, rf 2 0 0 0 Vernaglia, pr 0 1 0
Kuhl, 1b 2 0 0 0 Eldredge, cf 2 1 1
Vilardo, pr 0 0 0 0 Pamanian, 2b 2 0 0
Merchant, dp 2 0 0 0 Spencer, ss 2 0 1
Tibbetts, c 2 0 0 0 Sutton, rf 3 0 0
Provost, lf 2 0 0 0 Rodriguez, 1b 2 0 0
Asadoorian, 2b 2 0 0 0 Bayless, dp 2 0
Totals 21 0 2 0 Totals 21 4 6 3
Maine 000 000 0 ? 0
California 000 004 x ? 4
E?Cheney (13); LOB?Maine 1; Cal 3; HR?Galindo (6); DP?Maine 2; S?Pamanian (8); SF?Spencer (4); SB?Brady (18); Eldredge (16); CS?Brady (4); Spencer (2)
Maine IP H R ER BB SO
Bennis (L,10-10) 6 6 4 3 2 1
California IP H R ER BB SO
Thorson (W,24-3) 7 2 0 0 0 10
HBP?McKinney by Thorson; WP?Bennis 2; T?1:42
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