University of Maine
Long Beach St.
Black Bears Complete Doubleheader Sweep of Long Beach State
2/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Jennifer Eberhardt's (Glendale, Ariz.) two out single in the top of the eighth inning gave the Black Bears a 3-2 lead that they would not let go of, earning them a sweep of the doubleheader over Long Beach State. The win, Maine's third in a row, improves the Black Bears to 4-6 on the season.
After having to come back from a four run deficit in game one of the doubleheader, the Black Bears jumped out to an early lead in game two, taking a 1-0 lead after one inning of play. Kristen Koslosky (Castro Valley, Calif.) started the game by running the count to full before reaching on a walk. After a foul out, Ralphs maintained her hot bat as she ripped a double to left center. Koslosky hustled around the bags, scoring all the way from first.
The Black Bears added a run in the top of the second to extend their lead to 2-0. Eberhardt started the rally with a lead-off walk before being moved up to second on a single by Chelsea Kunin (Carlsbad, Calif.). Lindsey Jenkins (Greenwich, Conn.) then grounded out but a throwing error by the 49ers' first baseman allowed Eberhardt to score on the play.
Long Beach got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third as Karli Sandoval started the inning with a double and was driven in on a single by Cya Neal's single into left field.
The 49ers tied things up at two when Sandoval's two-out double plated Brianna Stephan in the bottom of the sixth.
The game would move into extra innings as Stephanie Wood (Florence, N.J.) started off the top of the eighth on second for Maine. Jenny MacDowell (Littleton, Mass.) moved Wood over to third with a sacrifice bunt before Eberhardt drove a 2-0 pitch up the middle, scoring Wood with the go ahead run.
Ashley Kelley (Hermon, Maine) retired the 49ers in order in the bottom of the eighth, stranding a runner a third base, to preserve the 3-2 extra inning victory for the Black Bears.
Kelley moves to 2-2 on the season with the win as she went eight innings while giving up two runs on seven hits with one strikeout.
Christian Carbajal takes the loss for the 49ers after going eight innings and giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks.
Maine returns to action on Friday, March 2 when they battle South Carolina in Riverside, Calif. at 2:30 pm EST.
-U-M-
