LAKE CHARLES, La. – The California softball team opened the 2024 season with a bang on Thursday night, crushing three home runs on the way to a 5-2 win at McNeese.

Mika Lee, Lagi Quiroga and Elon Butler all homered, while Anna Reimers picked up the win and Randi Roelling earned a save in her collegiate debut.

Cal got on the board early when Lee took the first pitch of the season she saw to deep center. The Bears added another run on a Tianna Bell single and a Cowgirl fielding error to make it 2-0 after the top half of the first.

The Cowgirls had an answer right away, putting two of their own on the board with back-to-back two-out solo home runs off of Reimers as it was 2-2 heading to the second inning.    

Reimers settled in her next time out, striking out the side in the third. The freshman Quiroga gave Cal the lead once again in the third, smashing her first homer well over the scoreboard in left field.

The Bears then added some insurance in the fourth by manufacturing a run. Kaylee Pond led off the frame with a double and scored on a Hope Alley RBI bunt single after moving to third when Butler put down a sacrifice bunt.

Leading 4-2, Haylei Archer took over for Reimers to start the fifth. After a single and a walk, the Bears went to Roelling and she got out of the frame with a pop up and a caught stealing at third from Quiroga to Alley.

Butler hit a laser of a homer in the sixth and Roelling was able to work around a couple jams to secure the victory as Cal's pitching staff held the Cowgirls off the scoreboard after the first inning.

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