Box Score
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Jessica Tolmie pitched five shutout innings but the Bengal offense struggled to score as the Idaho State softball team fell 3-2 to San Diego in the final game of the Highlander Classic on the campus of UC Riverside.
Both teams were scoreless through five innings.
A solo home run in the top of the sixth inning by Danielle Mavridis gave USD a 1-0 lead.
The Bengals answered in the bottom half of the inning.
Vicky Galasso walked to start the inning.
Terah Blackwell then sent a two-run blast over the left field wall in the next at-bat to give Idaho State a 2-1 lead.
The Toreros added a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to tie the game at two.
The game went into extra innings after the Bengals were unable to score in the bottom of the seventh.
In extra-inning games in a tournament format a runner is placed on second base at the beginning of an inning. San Diego quickly took advantage and scored a run on another sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth to take a 3-2 lead.
Katelyn Marquez was placed on second for the Bengals and advanced to third after Galasso flew out to center field. Coleman then retired the next two batters to end the game.
Idaho State moves to 12-8 on the season after four tournaments.
Bailey Foster (4-2) replaced Tolmie in the seventh inning and is the pitcher of record. Tolmie pitched 6.1 innings and allowed five hits and two runs. She struck out three and walked two.
"I thought
Jessica Tolmie had a great game and definitely pitched well enough to win," Wright said. "We struggled offensively and just couldn't quite put it together."
It was the only loss of the weekend for the Bengals. Idaho State outscored its opponents 25-9 in the four games of the Highlander Classic.
Kacie Burnett finished the four-game tournament with a .706 batting average, including a 2-for-4 game Sunday.
"
Kacie Burnett had another tremendous weekend on both sides of the ball," Wright said. "All-in-all we had a great tournament and we learned a lot that will help us as we approach conference."
The Bengals have just one tournament left on the schedule before their first conference series against Portland State.
Idaho State will play in the Spring Hill Suites Invitational in Boise next weekend. ISU kicks off the tournament with a Friday game against Lafayette College at 12 p.m. at Dona Larsen Park in Boise.
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