Cal Poly softball’s less than stellar start in Big West Conference play continued last weekend as the Mustangs dropped all three of their games against the University of Hawai’i at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. With the three losses, the Mustangs sit at 1-5 in conference and 17-18 overall.
Friday
Starting pitcher Lindsey Chalmers tossed a complete-game Friday night in a close fought pitching battle, but the Mustangs squandered her sensational performance in the circle as the team was shutout and fell 0-1. An unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the difference maker in the Mustangs’ loss.
Freshman outfielder Noellah Ramos singled twice. Senior infielder Chelsea Convissar and senior utility player Stephanie Heyward both added singles of their own but it was not enough to spark any offensive output for the Mustangs.
Chalmers pitched six innings allowing four hits and one walk.
Saturday morning
Chalmers got the start again Saturday morning and the Mustangs again had a difficult time getting their bats going early. The Rainbow Wahine circled the bases with ease early in the game as three players for Hawai’i smashed homers to score seven runs on five hits in the first inning.
Cal Poly stranded baserunners in the second inning after a double in the left-center field gap by junior outfielder Crimson Kaiser and a single up the middle by senior infielder Alejandra Garcia. The Rainbow Wahine expanded their lead with another 2-run home run to push their lead to 9-0.
The third inning was similar to the second, as the Mustangs left two more runners on base and Hawaii scored two more runs to take the opening game 11-0.
Senior right hander Lindsey Chalmers (12-7) took the loss as she gave up Hawai’i’s first two home runs.
Saturday afternoon
Freshman right-hander Dakota Casper allowed only one hit over six innings, but the Mustangs couldn’t seal the deal in the final game of the series after losing the first two games.
The Mustangs took an early 2-0 lead after a double to right field from sophomore first baseman Hailey Martin which drove in Ramos and Heyward.
Casper allowed her first hit when Ramos was unable to successfully catch a line drive off the bat of Britnee Rossi. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Casper gave up a three-run, walk-off blast to Hawaii as the Rainbow Wahine took the final game of the series 3-2.
Casper still recorded a career low of three allowed hits despite the loss. Cal Poly will host their longest home stand of the 2018 season starting with a 3-game series against UC Davis Saturday, April 14 at Bob Janssen Field.