IRVINE, Calif. – Dominican softball won a seesaw battle 10-4 over Nebraksa Kearney as it pulled away late to finish the CUI Kickoff Classic 3-2 at Great Park Irvine.
Kate Tobola finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and a home run while
Annabelle Burke also went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a double.
Hannah Escalante earned her first victory of the year for the Penguins allowing no earned runs and striking out two in 5.1 innings pitched. Daniella Morillas led the Lopers (3-2) from the plate finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Tobola singled up the middle to lead off the game and moving her on base streak to five games. After a fielder's choice,
Morgan Saucedo drew a walk and
Taylor Rodriguez singled to shallow left to load the bases. Burke stepped to the plate with two-outs and delivered for Dominican as she singled to right field to bring in the first two runs of the game. UNK loaded the bases in the bottom of the first on a walk and a pair of singles.
Leila Benson made a diving snag for the second out, but Mary Chvatal scored on the sacrifice fly to cut the lead in half. Benson secured the fly out for the final out of the inning to keep Dominican in the lead.
The Lopers loaded the bases again in the second inning and Zaria Brigham singled to center field to bring home two runs and take the 3-2 lead. Brigham came home two batters later as Morillas singled up the middle to take the 4-2 lead. Burke provided a spark for Dominican again in the top of the fourth as she doubled to left center to begin the inning.
Leslie Ruiz moved her to third on a fantastic defensive play by Alyssa Fortik stopping a ball up the middle and throwing across her body to first.
Kelissa Lee then dropped a perfect bunt up the third-base line allowing Burke to come home on the squeeze while beating the throw to first for a single.
With momentum back on their side Benson singled on a looping ball that died in front of the second baseman and just out of the reach of her glove. Tobola singled through the left side to load the bases and
Tiare Guerrero walked to bring in the tying run.
Ali Fierro sent a slow grounder to short that allowed Benson to come home for the 5-4 lead.
Kaitlyn Aguilar appeared on the verge of driving in two more runs but Alivia De la Cruz made a diving grab in the right center gap to keep a one-run deficit for UNK. Escalante got some help from her defense in the bottom of the frame as
Leslie Ruiz got under a high fly ball near the warning track for the first out and Guerrero gathered a ball moving to her left to turn a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame.
Escalante delivered two straight clean innings to keep Dominican clinging to their 1-run advantage heading to the final inning.
Morgan Heggstrom took advantage of a pair of errors to reach second safely with one out and
Karlyne Manuel came in to bring some speed to the base paths. Burke delivered one last clutch hit to drive in an insurance run and advanced to second on the throw home.
Aneesa Brewer singled to right center in her pinch hitting opportunity to put runners on the corners and Lee delivered yet another perfect bunt to drive in a run for the 7-4 lead. Tobola delivered one final blow as she sent a ball down the left-field line and a diving attempt to make the final out of the inning was missed allowing the ball to go all the way to the wall and giving Tobola time to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run to make it 10-4.
Dominican will head to Turlock for the Stanislaus State Invitational beginning with host Stanislaus State at 2 p.m. PST Thursday before taking on No. 17 Cal State East Bay at 4:30 p.m. at Warrior Field.
