NCAA Far West Region Softball Championship:
Chico State Remains Undefeated; MSUB, SFSU Still Alive
Top seeds Humboldt State, host Toros both eliminated
May 13, 2005

Day One Release   Tourney Stats

Carson, CA -- Junior Linda Reyes (Garden Grove, CA/Pacifica HS/St. John’s) led 2nd-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills to a furious 9-8 extra-inning victory over a game Hawaii-Hilo squad in the Far West Region’s early game. But the Toros couldn’t duplicate the feat in the late contest, as No. 3-seeded Montana State Billings rebounded from a 2-0 deficit with five unanswered runs to take a 5-2 win, eliminating the Toros from the 2005 NCAA DII Far West Softball Regional.

With the loss, CSUDH ends its season at 46-12, while Montana State Billings improves to 36-13, and will face No. 4-seeded San Francisco State in tomorrow’s early elimination contest following the Gators’ 1-0 loss to No. 6-seeded Chico State in the third game of the afternoon.

In the day’s second game, MSUB won its first-ever game against top-seeded Humboldt State, 3-1, knocking the Lumberjacks from the tournament.

Cal State Dominguez Hills 9, Hawaii-Hilo 8

Montana State-Billings 3, Humboldt State 1

Chico State 1, San Francisco State 0

Montana State Billings 5, Cal State Dominguez Hills 2

Cal State Dominguez Hills 9, Hawaii-Hilo 8 Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--Host Cal State Dominguez Hills came back from an 8-4 deficit scoring five unanswered runs to knock Hawaii-Hilo out of the 2005 NCAA II Far West Regional by a score of 9-8 in eight innings Friday afternoon at Toro Diamond.

Linda Reyes keyed the comeback going 3-for-4 on the day while driving in three RBI, including a 2-run, two-out base hit that tied the game in the top of the seventh sending the contest into extra innings.

CSUDH (46-11) took the lead, 9-8, in the top of the eighth after Jennifer Wilson's infield single scored Cindy Perry, who reached earlier on a walk, then stole second base.

Toro pitcher Valerie Long (21-5), who came on in the third inning in relief, allowed a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth. However, the senior hurler retired the final two batters to keep the Toros alive while sending Hawaii-Hilo home early in the double-elimination tournament.

UHH (31-11) took an 8-4 lead after three innings with a 3-run homer in the second by Haunani Haasenritter. Then in the third the Vulcans plated five runs on back-to-back-to-back long balls, the big blow coming from Leo Sing-Chow's 3-run shot.

Sing-Chow (9-5) took the loss going the final 1.1 innings allowing one run on two hits. Starter Sarah Steele tossed the first 5.2 innings allowing six runs on nine hits.

No. 2 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills will continue on in the elimination bracket taking on the winner of the MSU-Billings/Humboldt State game at 4:30 p.m.

Montana State-Billings 3, Humboldt State 1 Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--Top seed Humboldt State was sent home early from the 2005 NCAA II Far West Region Championship Tournament after falling to No. 3 seed Montana State-Billings, 3-1, in an elimination game Friday afternoon at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

The Yellowjackets got a solid complete-game pitching performance by Joey Ehnes (28-10) who scattered five hits over seven innings while striking out three. Lumberjack starter Tracy Motzny (30-3) took the loss going the first 2.0 innings allowing two runs on four hits.

MSUB (35-13) took an early 2-0 lead in the first after RBI singles from Rachel Ouarnburg and Jenna Haacke.

Humboldt State (60-6), who came into the regional ranked No. 2 in the latest NFCA national poll, cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI single by Megan Sutherland.

MSU-Billings went up 3-1 in the third on a Christy Wankel clutch RBI single with two outs. Ehnes took over from there allowing only three hits the rest of the way to keep the Yellowjackets alive.

MSU-Billings will now take on host Cal State Dominguez Hills, who knocked off Hawaii-Hilo in the early game, 9-8, today at 4:30 p.m. Humboldt State, who only had four losses the entire season coming into the regional, ends the season on a three-game skid.

Chico State 1, San Francisco State 0 Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--(May 13, 2005)--No. 6 seed Chico State advanced through the winner's bracket with a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 4 seed San Francisco State at the NCAA II Far West Region Championship Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Chico's Katie Stokx and Gator starter Sonja Garnett were locked up in a good 'ol fashioned pitcher's duel until Chico State broke through with a run in the fifth inning on an RBI infield single off the bat of Amber Neves with runners on second and third.

That was all the support Stokx (14-7) would need as she shut down SFSU the rest of the way to propel the Wildcats to the championship game tomorrow. Stokx registered six strikeouts en route to the two-hit shutout despite walking four batters.

Garnett (27-8), who has been nearly flawless in the tournament, was the tough-luck loser allowing the lone run while scattering six hits over six innings. Garnett also struck out four in the game.

Chico State (33-14) will now play the winner of the San Francisco State/Montana State-Billings elimination game that begins tomorrow at 11 AM. The Wildcats, who will play tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., only need a split with either the Gators or the Yellowjackets to advance to the NCAA II Softball World Series for the second time in the past four years.

Montana State Billings 5, Cal State Dominguez Hills 2 Box Score

Against MSUB, CSUDH scored single runs in the first two innings courtesy of a Kelli Rodriguez (Reseda, CA/Bishop Alemany HS) RBI base knock and a Wilson RBI double for a quick 2-0 lead.

The Yellowjackets, however, would answer with one in the 2nd and three in the 3rd to take the lead for good. In the 3rd inning, after MSUB starter Joey Ehnes and Rachel Quarnburg hit consecutive one-out singles, Christy Wankel connected for an RBI single one out later off CSUDH starter Jackie Miller (Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap HS/CS Stanislaus), and was followed by Jenna Haacke, who smacked a booming double to the left center field gap, bringing home both base-runners.

Starter Ehnes would do the rest, holding the Toros scoreless the rest of the way and limiting them to two hits after the 2nd inning.

CSUDH had a great opportunity in the 5th as Kate Groden (San Pedro, CA/San Pedro HS/SE Missouri Univ.) and Reyes reached base to open the frame and were moved to 2nd and 3rd on a Rodriguez sacrifice bunt. Ehnes buckled down, however, by fanning Funk and inducing Pebbel Prestwood (Hesperia, CA/Sultana HS/CS Stanislaus) to ground out to 2nd base, preserving the 5-2 lead.

CSUDH showed signs of life in its final at-bat as Wilson singled to begin the frame and moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Ehnes again, however, got out of the jam, sandwiching two groundouts around a strikeout to send the Yellowjackets onto Day 3, where they will face SFSU at 11 a.m. for the right to battle Chico State, a perfect 3-0 thus far in the region.

“Today we played with a lot of heart, but we just came up short,” began head coach Jim Maier. “We were just a little inconsistent in some areas where we’d been consistent all year long, and when you play good teams in a short weekend, anything can happen. Overall, though, the year was fantastic. We finished 46-12 and won the CCAA Championship. I’m very proud.”

The Toros end their year having established 24 records, led by Long’s career marks for wins and strikeouts and Perry’s marks for batting average, hits and stolen bases in a season. In conclusion of a stellar career in Cardinal Red & Gold, Long fittingly recorded the final out of CSUDH’s 2005 season in MSUB’s 6th inning, retiring the side in order and adding the final strikeout of her Toro career.