CHICO, Calif. ? Chico State pitcher Rachel Gendron had a no-hitter going into the sixth but UC San Diego broke up the no-no and scored four runs in the inning for a come-from-behind 4-3 victory Saturday at University Softball Stadium on the Chico State campus. The second game was called in the top of the third inning with the scored tied at three because of rain and will not be made up.
Amanda Eliades singled home two runs and Jenny Maze blasted the go-ahead two-run homer to lift the Tritons to victory. UC San Diego hurler Melissa Ward (25-10) limited Chico State to three runs on 10 hits in the complete-game victory as the Tritons improved to 32-23 overall and 23-12 in the CCAA. Ward's record in league games only improved to 19-3.
Gendron faced just one batter over the minimum through six-and-a-third innings. Overall, she allowed four runs on five hits in a complete-game effort. The Wildcats fell to 14-31 overall and 7-24 in the CCAA with the loss.
Chico State led by a 3-0 score in the fifth as Megan Bera's one-out double got the rally started. Rebecca Johnson followed with an RBI-double to give the Wildcats the lead, and Johnson then moved to third on Chelsea Lundberg's single to right field. Allison Smith's sacrifice fly plated Johnson, and Lundberg came around to score on Jennifer Chacon's base hit later in the inning.
Lisa Whitney and Chacon hit consecutive singles with two out in the seventh to threaten the Tritons' lead, but Ward got Gendron to fly out to left field to end the game.
Head coach Patti Gerckens' squad will conclude its 2007 regular season with a doubleheader at home next weekend against Cal State San Marcos. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
Following next weekend's regular season finale, the Tritons will travel to Arcata, Calif., for the inaugural CCAA Softball Championship Tournament on May 3-5. The NCAA D-II Softball Championships will follow that, as UCSD, the No. 3 ranked team in the West Region, figures to get an invitation to the D-II West Regional that will be held on May 10-13 at a site still to be determined.
