Irvine, Calif. — Dominican University of California softball dropped the first two games of the season opening Concordia Kickoff Classic, falling 5-3 to Cal State University, San Bernardino, and 8-1 to San Francisco State University.
 
GAME ONE
 
Junior Lauren Lapinid scored the inaugural run of the 2022 season in the first inning with a single towards second base that scored freshman Melissa Garcia who initially drew a walk to put herself on base. A 1-2-3 inning followed as the Dominican pitchers rode an early groove, followed by a second inning that saw a pair of Penguins force walks, but no runs were scored.
 
CSU found the board for the first time in the bottom of the second when a runner scored on a while pitch after being advanced to third in the previous at-bat, knotting the score even at 1-1. A pair of Penguin walked again to no avail in the top of the third inning before a CSU triple down the third base line scored another run for the Coyotes, setting the score to 2-1.
 
Neither team found the scoreboard in the fourth inning, with the Penguins also being held off the scoreboard in their offensive portion of the fifth. CSU jumped out to a four-run lead when they scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth, with runs coming from a culmination of Dominican errors and a Coyote sacrifice fly that gave CSU a 5-1 lead.
 
Neither team put runs on the board in the sixth inning, but Dominican fought back in what would be the final inning of the game when the first three batters all found the bases after senior Helena Harris drew a walk, Melissa Garcia was hit by a pitch and sophomore Faith Erb reached on a fielder's choice. Senior Peyton Mott was sent into pinch hit, making an immediate impact when she advanced all the runners including Harris who was previously on third base, cutting the lead to 5-2, though Mott was unable to record an RBI on the play due to a previous error that helped Harris reach the third bag.
 
The third and final Penguin run was scored after junior Shelby Keltner hit a sacrifice fly that scored Melissa Garcia from third base, but the run was not enough as Dominican dropped the opening match 5-3.
 
GAME TWO
 
Contrasting game one of the road trip, no runs were scored by either team in the opening innings. Dominican pitching held firm for the initial innings, allowing just two hits through the first three innings as Keltner was dialed in early. Freshman Alicia Garcia was the only Penguin to find a base over the opening two innings when she drew a walk in the second, but she was left stranded as Dominican's offense was left finding its bearings.
 
The Gators found the board first when the leadoff batter found her base via walk to start the inning. The runner was then advanced to second on the next at bat, eventually scoring on a single two batters later. Keltner got out of the jam as two Gators were left deserted on second and third base.
 
Two more runs were added by the Gators in the fifth after a pair of singles resulted in the first run before a pair of stolen bases but a runner on third before she was brought home by a single that hugged the rightfield line to set the score at 3-0. Dominican threatened in the bottom of the inning when junior Bella Romani hit a leadoff single before advancing on a wild pitch soon after. Senior Rosa Leguria singled to right field to put herself on base, but two quick outs ensued to end the Dominican threat.
 
Two more Gators runs were tacked on in the fifth courtesy of triple that included an advancement on the ensuing throw from the outfield, eventually resulting in two runners crossing home plate. Three more runs were added by SF State in the seventh, with the first run coming on a similar play as the batter hit a triple and eventually scored on the same play due to a throwing error. A two-run homerun capped off the inning to give the Gators an 8-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the final inning.
 
Alicia Garcia drew a leadoff walk to begin what would be the final hitting, followed by a Romani walk that put two runners on. Bella Romani later became the lead runner after Alicia Garcia was thrown out at third, with Romani becoming the lone runner to cross the plate courtesy of a Mady Solonga sacrifice bunt that set the final score to 8-1.