Womens Softball
Menlo College splits DH, with Simpson
Date of competition: Saturday, April 21, 2012
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Chaos ensued at Wunderlich Field this afternoon, and it disguised itself as the 6th inning in game one of today’s Senior Day doubleheader.
The visiting Red Hawks of Simpson University trailed the Lady Oaks, 3-1, heading into the top of the frame. On a day meant for her and fellow senior Amanda Vegas, Menlo starting pitcher Jessica Cobb had cruised through five innings, surrendering just one run on only three hits.
However the Red Hawks refused to go quietly, completely reversing the Senior Day script with a six-run top of the 6th. Enter Tricia Davidson who recorded the final out of the inning, and then behind an unprecedented five straight two-out hits, the Lady Oaks came back to score five in the bottom of the 6th to take an improbable 8-7 lead.
Cobb re-entered the tilt in the top of the 7th, and with one on and one out, the native of Castro Valley induced Shaley Madruga on a game-ending 4-6-3 twin killing to secure the unbelievable comeback win.
The Lady Oaks would go on to drop the second game of the double dip, 2-1, but Menlo’s miracle 6th inning comeback and Cobb’s resiliency will be remembered most.
“It couldn’t have ended more perfectly,” said an emotional Cobb after the game. “It was a complete team effort and it couldn’t have gotten any better than it was.”
The senior ended up earning the save, while Davidson by virtue of throwing just one pitch and getting an out, picked up the win. Simpson’s Hayley Rodriguez was on the opposite end in suffering the loss with 5.2 innings of work.
In the fateful bottom of the 6th with the Oaks down 7-3, Menlo put a runner on second with two out and Rachel Hammack coming to the dish. Hammack began the Lady Oaks hit parade with a line drive RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 7-4, the first of five consecutive two-out knocks.
Ululani Reyes, Emmeline Wang, and Nicole Larson all followed with singles to bring the score within 7-5 and load the bases as Jessica Soliai stepped into the box. Soliai, the sophomore from Citrus Heights, dropped one just fair inside the right field line and by time it was corralled by Nicki Feuerbach, all three runners touched up home. The Lady Oaks had done it. They led 8-7.
“I was just screaming for my runners to go and was so excited,” said Soliai on the game winning three-run double. “I was so happy.”
Menlo was unable to come through in the second game despite a brilliant pitching performance by Tricia Davidson. The sophomore from Carmichael went the distance, allowing two runs on five hits in a tough luck 2-1 loss.
The only blemishes on Davidson’s outing were two solo home runs by Corinne Alexander, who drilled one in the 2nd and one in the 4th.
Simpson’s Morgan Davis earned the win with seven innings of one-run ball. The native of Redding surrendered just five hits and retired the final six Menlo hitters after a Raquel Savoy double leading off the 6th.
posted by re on Apr 21, 2012 at 10:10 pm
 Jessica Cobb/Menlo Athletics |
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