Army Falls on First Day of CSUN Early Bird Classic

Friday, February 15

Northridge, Calif.

11 AM ET (8 AM PT)

Army West Point

2-4

CSUN

2-4

Army West Point

CSUN

Army Falls on First Day of CSUN Early Bird Classic

February 15, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The Army West Point softball team dropped a pair of games to CSUN, 9-4 and 4-3, to open play at the CSUN Early Bird Classic on Friday.

The Black Knights moved to 2-5 on the season, while the Matadors jumped to 3-4.

Seniors Ashley Yoo and Carrie Reilly, along with rookie Bianca Gonzalez, posted a team-high three hits on the afternoon with Gonzalez smacking two doubles. Sophomore Ally Snelling, rookie Jolie Duong and Reilly contributed all six of Army's RBI on the day with two apiece, while Gonzalez scored a team-high two runs.

Sophomore Taylor Drayton had a strong outing on the rubber to start game one, allowing just one run (earned) and two hits in 3.0 innings of work while fanning three Matadors. Duong was a workhorse in the night cap, tossing her first complete game with a six-inning effort. The Houston, Texas, native scattered five hits and two walks while striking out three.

GAME 1: CSUN 9, ARMY 4
HOW IT HAPPENED

The Matadors got on the board first with an RBI single by Jessica Alexander plated Megan Stevens who led off with a double.
Army tied the game in the fifth inning when Carrie Reilly laced an RBI single down the left field line that scored Ashley Yoo from third.
The Black Knights posted four runs in the frame to take the lead following a two-RBI hit by Snelling.
CSUN responded with six runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning and added two insurance runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

This was the first-ever meeting between Army and CSUN.
Yoo recorded her second multi-hit game of the year.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., native notched her second two-bagger of the season.
Snelling documented her third multi-RBI effort of 2019.

GAME 2: CSUN 4, Army 3
HOW IT HAPPENED

The home squad manufactured the first run of the second game in the first inning that was capped with a sacrifice fly to score Stevens.
The Cadets bounced back in the third inning to tie the game when Carrie Reilly singled to right center with the bases loaded to score Gonzalez.
Stevens continued her hot day at the plate with a two-run double in the fifth to give the Matadors a 3-1 advantage in the fifth before CSUN added an insurance run in the sixth.
Army never gave up and brought the game within one thanks to a two-out, two-RBI single by Duong in the seventh, but CSUN was able to hold on for the victory.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army posted its first game without committing an error defensively.
Emily Ballesteros extended her hitting streak to a team-best six games.
Gonzalez slugged her team-leading fourth double of the season.
The Norco, Calif., native posted her first three-hit effort as a member of the Black Knights.
Duong tossed the first complete game of her collegiate career.

COACH'S CORNER
Interim Head Coach Bob Beretta – "It was a tough day for us overall, but we have to focus on the positives and realize this is a process. Despite the losses, we saw some very good things we can build upon that will pay dividends for us in the future. The momentum of first game really turned on a bunt play in the fifth inning that we mishandled defensively. It came right after we took a lead with three runs in the top of the inning and gave CSUN a huge lift. The three outs after a big offensive inning are very important shutdown innings for us, and we were unable to keep them off the board. That play changed the entire complexion of the game and led to six runs in the inning. We must make better plays defensively.

"I was pleased with the fight we showed in the second game. Any time you can get the tying and go-ahead runs on base in your last at-bat is a positive. But we fell a hit shy in the end. We squandered two excellent scoring changes when we loaded the bases in the third and fourth innings with less than two outs and came away empty both times. We've got to find a way to score runs in those situations. Those missed opportunities usually come back to haunt you, and they did for us today.

"I thought Jolie gave us a well-pitched game in the second game and came through with a huge two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh to keep our rally alive. That was a big hit for us and gave us a chance. We need to learn from these defeats, build on the positives and come back with a solid approach tomorrow. Our goal is to get better each day. Hopefully we can accomplish that tomorrow."

UP NEXT

The Black Knights continue play at the CSUN Early Bird Classic with a single game on Saturday against Santa Clara. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET.