Feb. 9, 2013

Final Stats

TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 3 Golden Bears moved to 1-2 for the season after a pair of games Saturday, downing Cal State Northridge 7-2 in one game and falling to Florida 7-4 in another.

Back in the gold and blue for the first time this season, junior Britt Vonk made her presence known by batting 4-for-8 between the two games, including a double plus two RBIs, and scoring one run. Fellow junior Victoria Jones added a double and a homerun to her season totals. Freshman Nisa Ontiveros made her debut in the circle against Cal State Northridge, pitching for just over five innings for Cal and giving up eight hits while fanning four batters.

Against Cal State Northridge, the team used a season-best 14 hits to score seven times. The Bears got their bats swinging early, registering seven hits in the first two innings, including a solo homer from sophomore Breana Kostreba in the first inning. At the top of the third, with sophomore Danielle Henderson on first, Jones bombed one over the center field fence to tack on another two runs for Cal. The Golden Bears added another run after a throwing error by Cal State Northridge allowed senior Jolene Henderson to run home. Cal's final two runs came in the seventh, with freshman Khala Taylor and Vonk each earning an RBI.

Against Florida, a team that has given Cal trouble in recent postseasons, the Golden Bears hit efficiently but could not earn a victory after the Gators scored in four different innings.

Florida got off to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first, before Cal caught up and took the lead in the bottom of the third inning. After freshman Vanessa Alvarez and Vonk each singled, sophomore Cheyenne Cordes doubled to center field to bring both runners home. A single from Kostreba to center field later brought Cordes in.

The Gators quickly caught up, scoring another two runs during the fourth inning. The Bears answered the challenge when Jones doubled, then scored after a single from Henderson. But Cal could not regain the lead after Florida tacked on another two scores in the top of the fifth, ending the game with seven runs. Henderson was charged the loss for the Bears after working the complete game, fanning eight batters but allowing seven runs and eight hits. Florida now owns a 7-3 all-time record over Cal.

Cal's final game of the weekend tournament is against Indiana at 10 a.m. PT Sunday. The teams last met at the Kajikawa in 2011, with Cal bringing home a 4-3 W in extra innings. The Golden Bears own a 5-0 series advantage over the Hoosiers.

Fans can follow Cal Softball on Twitter and Facebook for updates throughout the season.