SOFTBALL LOSES TO BOSTON COLLEGE, 2-1, STILL FINISHES WITH FOUR WINS AT TOURNAMENT

3/2/2008

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Renee Ramos hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Allison Gage allowed just six hits and one unearned run over seven innings to lead Boston College to a 2-1 victory over Sacramento State in the fifth and final round of the Bronco Softball Stampede Sunday morning at the Oliver Sports Complex.

With the loss, the Hornets still completed the tournament with a 4-1 record. Prior to today, Sacramento State had outscored its four opponents (Youngstown State, Boston College, Providence and North Dakota State) by a combined 35-4 margin. That included a 14-3 win over Boston College on Friday. The loss also snapped a season-high five game winning streak and the Hornets dropped to 9-6 overall this season.

With the victory, Boston College improved to 8-7 on the young season.

The Hornets started freshman Jacquelyn Serrano (1-1) for the first time all season, and after a two-out walk to Amy Tunstall in the first inning, Ramos greeted the right-hander with a two-run blast to left field. Serrano was eventually replaced with one out in the second inning in favor of Hornet freshman Megan Schaefer, who was able to work out a second-inning jam. In fact, Schaefer, who was making her fifth appearance of the season, was dominant in relief, allowing just two hits with no walks and two strikeouts in 5.2 innings. She did not allow a hit after the fourth inning, and retired nine batters in a row at one point.

Sacramento State was limited to just one run, tying its lowest output of the season for an offense that is second in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference with a .302 batting average. The Hornets’ only run off Gage came in the seventh when Amy Tompkins doubled home Hilary Johnson, who reached on an error earlier in the inning.

Sacramento State had its best chance to score in the second when Sherry Clark led off the inning with a double. She was eventually sacrificed to third base, but was thrown out at home trying to score on a ground ball off the bat of Teri Ann Caoagan. On the play, Clark was caught in a rundown between third base and home, and injured her knee trying to elude the tag. She had to come out of the game, and could be out of action for the near future with the injury. The severity of the injury could loom large to the Hornets’ success as Clark has been one of the team’s best players all year with a .400 batting average, including eight extra base hits, nine RBIs and a .451 on-base percentage.

After Tompkins doubled home Johnson in the seventh with two outs, Gage got Whitney Loomis to line out and end the game. Gage is the same pitcher that the Hornets torched for nine hits and six runs over 2.2 innings on Friday. Today, it was a different story as every hard hit ball found a Boston College glove. Gage improved to 3-5 with the victory and the only run she allowed was unearned.

Junior Izmena Cabrera was the only Hornet with a multiple-hit game as the left fielder finished 2-for-3.

Sacramento State returns to action next week when the team competes in the two-day, four-game Bulldog Classic on March 7-8. The Hornets play Rhode Island and tournament host Fresno State on Friday, and return Saturday to take on DePaul and Houston.