Correia Helps Cal Poly Close 2011 with 6-5 Victory

Saturday, May 14

12 pm

11-36, 0

Pacific

37-17, 0

Pacific

Cal Poly

Correia Helps Cal Poly Close 2011 with 6-5 Victory

5/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Freshman shortstop Ashley Romano homered twice and senior catcher Stephanie Correia closed her collegiate career with a one-out, walk-off base hit during the bottom of the eighth inning as the Cal Poly softball program finished the 2011 campaign and handed head coach Jenny Condon her 200th career victory with a 6-5 triumph versus Pacific on Saturday afternoon at Bob Janssen Field.

Honored alongside Correia (above) during a pre-game ceremony for their four-year contributions to the program, fellow senior lefthander Anna Cahn earned Saturday's victory with a complete-game effort. Saturday's matchup marked Cal Poly's third-successive extra-inning affair after Pacific (37-17, 16-5) earned its first Big West Conference title by sweeping a Friday doubleheader.

Romano, who snapped a 37-game homerless drought with a two-run shot during the first inning, socked her second during the second to hand Cal Poly (11-36, 7-14) a 5-1 advantage.

Cahn gave up single hits against Pacific during the third, fourth and fifth before a two-out bases-clearing double by Tigers left fielder Megan Foglesong in the top of the sixth cut Cal Poly's lead to 5-4. Pacific required just another inning to level the scoreline as second baseman Alexa Rivera singled up the middle to score first baseman Nikki Armagost.

Center fielder Megan Hom singled to lead off the eighth inning for Pacific before reaching second on a Correia passed ball and advancing to third through a Foglesong sacrifice bunt. Hom, however, was thrown out at home plate by Mustang freshman first baseman Jen Walker on a suicide squeeze attempt by designated player Kelsey Rodriguez.

Cal Poly, which had won just one of four previous extra-inning games this season, wasted little time in seizing the victory during the bottom of the eighth. Romano tripled down the right field line with one out before Correia's final swing in a Cal Poly uniform resulted in a base hit to right center field.

Following Romano's homer in the first, sophomore third baseman Shea Williams and sophomore center fielder Whitley Gerhart each drew bases-loaded walks to finalize Cal Poly's four-run frame.

Correia, a 2009 selection to the All-Big West second team, started 185 of a possible 193 games during her career and recorded a .989 fielding percentage with just 10 errors in 955 chances.

Cahn, the 2009 Big West Pitcher of the Year selection and 2010 Big West Field Player of the Year pick, retired as Cal Poly's career leader with 126 walks and ranked second in batting average (.333), RBI (116), homers (28) and slugging percentage (.552), fifth in total bases (275) and eighth in doubles (28). Also Cal Poly's career pitching leader with 125 appearances and 92 starts, Cahn ranks second in program history with 411 strikeouts, 639.1 inning pitched and 62 complete games and third with 50 victories.