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Cal Poly Softball Upends No. 8 Oregon in Friday Season Openers
2/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. – Center fielder Lauren Moreno (right) produced just two home runs during the entirety of her 54-game first season with the Cal Poly softball program last year, but the senior belted two long balls on Friday morning to power the Mustangs to a 6-4 opening-day triumph versus No. 8 Oregon at the Arizona State-hosted Kajikawa Classic.
Cal Poly (1-1), however, dropped its season-opening matchup versus Seattle earlier Friday, 8-4.
During Friday's second game versus Oregon (1-1), Moreno – batting from the leadoff spot in the lineup – hammered the fifth pitch of the matchup over the center field fence.
The Ducks equalized in the second inning as shortstop Nikki Udria drove a two-out single up the middle to score designated player Jamie Rae Sullivan.
Cal Poly gained the run back in the top of the fourth as Moreno earned the second her three RBI by producing a one-out sacrifice fly to score freshman first baseman Breana West, but Oregon wrested a 3-2 lead during the bottom half of the inning as left fielder Janie Takeda tripled with two down to plate Udria and center fielder Koral Costa.
Cal Poly, however, immediately found the winning margin in the top of the fifth. With one out, sophomore designated player Betsy Colburn drew a walk before senior catcher Mariah Cochiolo homered to right center field. West, who homered just once last year, followed by hitting her first of the season to put the Mustangs up 5-3.
Cal Poly, which as a team hit just nine home runs all of last season, conceded a run to Oregon in the bottom of the fifth before Moreno finalized the scoreline with a solo homer in the sixth.
In the circle, junior lefthander Chloe Wurst (1-1) earned her first victory of 2014 after scattering nine hits and allowing just two earned runs.
Oregon, the defending Pac-12 Conference champion, was the highest ranked team Cal Poly had defeated since besting No. 2 Texas A&M in its 2008 season-opening contest.
During Friday's opener, Cal Poly trailed from the onset as Seattle produced a three-run first inning highlighted by a two-out, run-scoring double from third baseman Jenny Hurst. Seattle then went up 5-0 in the third as shortstop Brianna Guerrero homered with one down and Hurst produced another run-scoring double with two outs.
After Seattle added two more runs more in the fifth, Cal Poly found its opening run in the bottom half of the inning as Cochiolo cracked her first homer of the season to right center.
Cal Poly scored thrice more in the bottom of the sixth as senior third baseman Jillian Andersen doubled with two down to score Colburn and junior left fielder Emily Ceccacci before West reached home through an illegal pitch from Seattle righthander Lindsay Davis.
The Redhawks, however, added one more run in the seventh to cement the 8-4 scoreline.
Despite suffering the loss, Wurst struck out five Seattle hitters without a walk.
Cal Poly continues Kajikawa Classic action against San Jose State (10:30 a.m. PT) and San Diego State (3:30 p.m.) on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wurst, Chloe (1-1)
L: Williams, Shea (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Moreno, Lauren 2 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 1 ; West, Breana 1
RBI: Moreno, Lauren 3 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 2 ; West, Breana 1
SF: Moreno, Lauren 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Moreno, Lauren 2 ; Colburn, Betsy 1 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 1 ; West, Breana 2
HBP: Cochiolo, Mariah 1 ; Brown, Cami 1 ; Andersen, Jillian 1
Batting:
2B: Innamorato, Nicole 1 ; Yzaguirre, Taylor 1
3B: Innamorato, Nicole 1
RBI: Innamorato, Nicole 2 ; K. Costa 1 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yzaguirre, Taylor 1 ; K. Costa 1 ; West, Breana 1 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 1
SB: Yzaguirre, Taylor 1 ; Cochiolo, Mariah 1
HBP: West, Breana 1
