San Diego, California – The Southern Utah softball team played two challenging games of the Torero Classic on Saturday. The Thunderbirds fell to Long Island University 5-2 and lost to the home team San Diego Toreros 4-0.
The Thunderbirds were led at the plate by sophomore Emily Gonzalez, who recorded a hit in each of the two games. Also swinging the bat well was Karmyna Becerra, who had the lone RBI for the T-Birds.
Junior Keimon Winston pitched nearly a complete game against the Sharks, surrendering seven hits and striking out five in the effort. Freshman Emily Delgado pitched five innings against the Toreros, giving up four hits and earning four strikeouts.
Coach Don Don Williams Said
"We are seeing a lot of fight in the team. Our pitchers are putting us in a position to win games. We just need to produce the runs for them. We will get one more opportunity tomorrow before we head home and get back to work."
Recap Game 1
Southern Utah stormed ahead in the third inning when Karmyna Becerra's powerful hit to left field turned into a double, with an errant throw allowing her to advance to third and ultimately score along with Laurie Cooke. This put Southern Utah ahead 2-0 early in the game, setting up an intense battle.
Long Island responded with determination in the fourth inning as Narvaiez came through in the clutch with a single to center field, bringing in two runs and tying the game at 2-2. The momentum swung further in Long Island's favor in the sixth inning when Castro capitalized on an opportunity, advancing to third and scoring on a throwing error by the right fielder, giving Long Island a 3-2 lead.
The game remained tense until the final inning when Long Island solidified their victory with two additional runs. With a final score of 5-2 in favor of Long Island, the game showcased good pitching by both teams.
Recap Game 2
The game was a battle from the start. Neither team was able to record a hit until the fourth inning, as both pitchers were on target. In the bottom of the fifth inning, a couple of hits, including a booming triple for the Toreros, gave USD the lead 4-0. They would hold on despite allowing a towering double hit by Gonzalez in the top of the seventh inning.
Next Up
The Thunderbirds will continue the Torero Classic with the final game of the weekend being played Sunday Morning against Eastern Illinois University. The first pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. MT.
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