ROHNERT PARK -- After losing 3-1 in the opener, the Sonoma State softball team trailed by three runs going into the sixth inning of game two, but a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh, capped off by
Mayleen Mazon's game-winning RBI double for the come-from-behind 4-3 victory allowed the Seawolves to salvage a split in Saturday's doubleheader with visiting Chico State.
Sonoma (31-14) remains in third place in the CCAA standings with an 18-9 record, two and a half games behind second-place Cal State Monterey Bay and three games ahead of fourth-place Cal State San Bernardino with eight conference games remaining in the regular season. Chico (22-16) has sole possession of fifth place in the CCAA with a 15-13 mark, just one-half game behind CSUSB.
In addition to Mazon's walkoff heroics,
Keeley Ray extended her reached base streak to program-best 45 games, breaking the all-time CCAA record of 44, set by Cori Reinhardt between May 2012 and April 2013. However, Humboldt State's Hanna Holland also extended her reached base streak to 45 games in Saturday's sweep of UC San Diego down in La Jolla, so both Ray and Holland currently hold the conference's record as it stands now. Ray also extended her hit streak to a program-best 25 games with two hits in each game on Saturday.
In game one, the Seawolves took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ray singled home
Holli Brown, but the Wildcats responded with three runs in their next at bat to take a 3-1 lead and eventual victory. The win for Chico State didn't come without some drama, though, as Sonoma loaded the bases with one out in three separate innings (the first inning, the fourth and the sixth), and even had two runners in scoring position in the second, but Wildcat pitcher Haley Gilham (11-7) worked herself out of the jam each time unscathed. In the end, SSU left 12 runners on base.
Ray went 2 for 2 and Brown went 2 for 3, accounting for four of Sonoma State's five hits in the game.
Amanda Llerena (18-10) suffered the loss in the circle for SSU, giving up three runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out five.
In the series finale, Chico State again posted three runs in its half of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. It wasn't until the sixth inning that Sonoma State got things going when pinch hitter
Karly Macadangdang lined an RBI double down the left field line allowing Ray to score from first base.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brown led off with a single before
Olivia Lucchese reached on a defensive error on Chico's attempt to field Lucchese's sacrifice bunt, putting two runners on with no outs.
Leanna Georges sacrificed Brown and Lucchese into scoring position, then two batters later, Ray delivered the game-tying two-RBI double to left field, setting the stage for Mazon to complete the comeback with her walkoff double to score Ray for the 4-3 win.
Mazon helped her own cause as she also earned the victory in the circle, improving to 9-4 this season. She gave up the three runs on six hits and five walks, striking out four in the process. Ray went 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs scored and five others recorded a base hit for the Seawolves as well.
Sonoma State will step out of conference play on Wednesday to resume the suspended game with Dominican that was halted after four innings due to darkness back on Feb. 4. It will resume at 2:00 pm, then the two teams will play an additional game following the conclusion of the suspended game. The Seawolves then host San Francisco State for four games on Friday and Saturday for their final home games of the 2015 season.
