CHICO, Calif. - Jennifer De Fazio connected with a two-run single in the top of the 11th inning as the UC San Diego softball team outlasted host Chico State, 3-1, in the NCAA Second Round at University Softball Field.
UCSD (38-13) advances to Sunday's West Region 1 Championship at 10:00 a.m. It is the first time in school history that the Tritons have reached a subregional final in the NCAA Championships at the Division II level.
Tied 1-1 with two out and runners on second and third, De Fazio, who was 0-for-4 to that point, laced a hard single up the middle to score Kris Lesovsky and Sarah Woofter for what would become the game-winning runs.
"When I came up to bat I knew it was a clutch situation," said De Fazio. "I live for those moments though. I love clutch situations."
After Lesovsky singled to open the 11th, Taylor Sepulveda bunted Lesovsky over before Woofter reached first on a fielder's choice. With runners on first and third, Woofter took a free base to put runners on second and third with one-down. The next batter, Charly Swanberg, lifted a high fly ball to left field for the second out of the inning, but UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens held Lesovsky at third due to the fact that CSUC left fielder Jesse Minch had gunned-down Lesovsky at the plate in the top of the sixth.
"I really thought coach was going to send her," said De Fazio. "So when Kris didn't go, I knew it was my time to come through."
From there, De Fazio took a strike on the outside of the plate before smacking Sam Baker's (21-10) second pitch up into center field, eventually advancing to third on a pair of Wildcat overthrows.
"Jenn knew what she needed to do and when she got in the box. You could see she was ready," said Gerckens. "I am just so proud of her. That was a huge, clutch hit."
Camille Gaito (28-4) hurled her second gem in as many days, going a career-high 11 innings while giving up seven hits and just a single earned run. The win sets a single-season school record for victories by a pitcher, passing Melissa Ward's total of 27 wins in 2007. In her starts against Central Washington and CSUC, Gaito has struck-out 15 batters while holding the opposition to just a .159 overall batting average.
"Camille is amazing," said Gerckens. "She's smart. She moves the ball. She really makes batters work up there. I am proud of her and she has pitched two great games so far."
Lesovsky put together a 3-for-5 afternoon, leading off the game with a double to the left field wall. After Sepulveda moved Lesovsky to third with one of her three sacrifice bunts on the day, Lesovsky was granted home base when Baker was called for an illegal pitch, making it 1-0 UCSD.
It was nearly deja vu in the sixth inning, as Lesovsky doubled down the line and then moved over on a Sepulveda sacrifice. Woofter bunted and reached due to some defensive confusion by Chico State, putting runners on first and third with one out. Swanberg hit a deep fly ball to left field for the second out, but Minch caught Lesovsky at the plate to get the Wildcats out of the inning without a scratch.
Feeling a momentum switch, Sam Quadt tripled to the right field corner to open the Wildcat half of the sixth and eventually scored on an RBI single by Taylor Hanamaikai. Gaito retired 15 of her next 19 hitters, using a diving catch by Sepulveda in left field to get out of the 10th inning.
After Sepulveda's catch, Woofter led the team in a ceremonial scream in front of the Triton dugout heading to the eleventh to help the team relieve some tension. Turns out, the loud scream woke up the Triton bats, which seemed to have fallen asleep between the second and 10th innings.
"We competed for eleven innings and that's all I could ask of them," said Gerckens. "We played good defense, Camille pitched a superb game, and it's good to get the win."
Lesovsky's pair of doubles gave the center fielder a school record 50 two-baggers for her career. De Fazio increased her RBI total to 28, a team-best.
UCSD, who advanced to the Subregional Championship via the winner's bracket, must win one of two potential games on Sunday if it is to advance to next weekend's Super Regional, which will determine the champion of the West Region. The Tritons will host next weekend's Super Regional if they win on Sunday.
"This is the best feeling," said Lesovsky. "Honestly, no one's going to beat us twice tomorrow. We've got this."
