Thomas Flirts With No-Hitter in Nightcap Win as Toros Softball Takes Two from Tritons, 6-1 & 3-1
March 27, 2006

Complete Box Scores
Game 1       Game 2

Carson, CA -- Sophomore Amy Thomas (Barstow, CA/Barstow HS) was just two outs away from pitching her first-career no-hitter as a Toro in CSUDH’s 3-1 game two win over visiting UC San Diego. The nightcap followed a tag-team pitching performance in game one which saw the Toros take a 6-1 win to sweep the Tritons on a chilly Monday afternoon. With the two wins, CSUDH improves to 23-3, 8-2 CCAA, while UCSD falls to 15-16, 6-8 CCAA.

After the Tritons struck first on a Niki Anderson homerun to left field in the top of the 3rd, the Toros answered with four in their bottom-half at-bat. In the frame Kate Groden (San Pedro, CA/San Pedro HS/SE Missouri Univ.) laced an opposite field double to bring home Lori Moreno (Los Angeles, CA/California HS) and Cindy Perry-Brown (Victorville, CA/Silverado HS), and scored herself one batter later when Jackie Miller (Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap HS/CS Stanislaus) sent UCSD starter Melissa Ward’s offering over the left-center field fence for a 4-1 lead. CSUDH would add two insurance runs one inning later, courtesy of a Natalie Greco (Downey, CA/Warren HS) RBI single and a Triton error.

Kristine Minter (Chula Vista, CA/Hampton University) picked up her 8th win of the season (8-0), tossing 4.0 innings in relief of Miller. Minter was aided by Moreno’s great defense in center as the senior gunned down two UCSD runners trying to advance bases on consecutive plays in the 5th inning.

Miller led the Toros’ offense with two hits, while Brittni Carino, Elizabeth Vazquez and Anderson each notched two hits in the Tritons’ loss. UCSD’s Ward threw a complete game in falling to 9-7 on the year.

Thomas was the story in the nightcap, flirting with a no-hitter for 6.1 innings. The 5’11” Barstow native controlled the UCSD bats, retiring nine Tritons in one stretch and settling for the two-hit, five strikeout win to improve to 7-1 on the season.

In the 2nd inning, the Toros benefited from Triton starter Lauren Chastain’s three walks, one wild pitch and hit batter, and a two-run bases loaded error by Triton shortstop Desiree Franciscus which resulted in a 3-0 Toro lead.

Neither team would be able to put across any more runs until the top of the 7th, when Dallas Hernandez belted a Thomas pitch just over the leaping Jen Wilson (Orange, CA/Bellflower HS/CS Fullerton) in right-center field, giving the Tritons their first hit of the game. After a groundout advanced Hernandez to 3B, Jenni Habib spoiled the shutout with a single to center field, accounting for the final score.

Thomas faced 26 batters in the win, while Chastain lasted just one inning in falling to 1-5. Perry-Brown and Wilson each tallied two hits for the Toros while Perry-Brown added three stolen bases on the afternoon.

The Toros travel to Turlock, CA, this week for the Easton Tournament of Champions, where Cal State Stanislaus hosts many of the nation’s best teams in a three-day tournament,. CSUDH starts play Friday morning at 9:15 a.m. with a match-up against the 3rd-ranked Humboldt State Lumberjacks.