Once again, Vanessa Salinas demonstrated her importance to the UHH softball team, when she pitches and lets someone else take the circle. ADVERTISING Once again, Vanessa Salinas demonstrated her importance to the UHH softball team, when she pitches and lets
Once again, Vanessa Salinas demonstrated her importance to the UHH softball team, when she pitches and lets someone else take the circle.
The slumping Vulcans scored a few runs, but still dropped a doubleheader to Cal Baptist, 2-1 and 11-3, on Saturday at their campus field.
The series-closing doubleheader loss extended the Vuls’ losing streak to seven games.
During that slide, UHH (12-13, 7-8 PacWest) has been outscored 29-6.
In the 2-1 Game 1 loss, Salinas went the distance and was engaged in a pitching duel with Lancers ace Loie Kesterson, who also threw a complete game.
But UHH’s bats didn’t show up in the clutch; the Vuls stranded seven on base, including the bases loaded in the first.
Kesterson (13-4) fired a five-hitter and allowed a run on three walks, and whiffed two.
She got a fielder’s choice groundout against Brandi Wilson to wiggle out of her first-inning pickle.
Salinas (7-7) had a similar pitching line. She also went seven innings, and gave up one earned run on five hits and one walk, and struck out one.
The difference?
Her defense made a costly error in the fifth inning, which led to an unearned run.
In the fifth, Jacque Lopez reached on a fielding error by Brittany Huff, and later scored on Jordan Mowatt’s RBI single.
Huff batted 1 for 2 and scored a run.
She had a chance to play hero, but grounded out in the seventh with two on.
In the 11-3 Game 2 loss, the Lancers figured out UHH’s No. 2 pitcher Danielle Wilson and took her apart.
Wilson (5-6) went 3 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs (two unearned) on six hits and two walks, and struck out one.
Salinas came in to clean up, but in 2 2/3 innings, she gave up four runs on five hits.
Shelby Vickers batted 2 for 3 and Emily Greene had two RBIs for the Vuls, who had eight hits.
Kayla Hatch (13-2) scattered eight hits in the six-inning TKO win. She yielded three runs, walked one and struck out one.
Kailey Willingham batted 2 for 2 with three RBIs and Jenna Lieber homered for the Lancers (26-6, 15-3, PacWest).
