TEMPE, Ariz. — No. 24 California tallied eight hits, including a pair of homers from junior Danielle Henderson and senior Victoria Jones, to surge to an 8-3 win over Portland State in the final game at the Kajikawa Classic Sunday. The Bears finish their opening weekend tournament 3-1.
Jones went 1-for-1 with her homer and two walks plus two runs and one RBI, while Henderson went 1-for-3 and a walk. Freshman Kylie Reed led with two hits (2-for-4) with one run and one RBI.
Portland State jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a single and a walk helped two runners on. An illegal pitch put the Vikings in prime position to score on a sac fly and a single.
Sophomore Jasmin Mejia paved the way for a Cal run with a leadoff single at the bottom of the second and moved a base over on a walk by Jones. Freshman Alleah Laxamana was hit by pitch to load the bases before junior Breana Kostreba keyed a sac fly, bringing home Mejia and putting the Bears on the board.
Henderson added the 2-2 equalizer at the bottom of the third with a solo homer.
Cal surged out to a 7-2 lead at the bottom of the fifth starting with a leadoff walk from Jones. A single by Laxamana moved Jones to second and the pair advanced a base each on an illegal pitch. Kostreba drew a walk to load the bases, forcing Jones in on another illegal pitch. Sophomore Vanessa Alvarez entered the game to pinch run for Kostreba and promptly stole second, moving to third on a single by Reed that scored Laxamana. Reed followed with a second stolen base, and a double by senior LaRisa Jones allowed Reed to reach third as Alvarez crossed the dish. Junior Cheyenne Cordes sent Reed home with a sac fly, and another illegal pitch allowed L. Jones to score before the flurry of runs ended with another five on the board for the Bears.
V. Jones added Cal’s eighth and final run with a leadoff homer at the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman Katie Sutherland-Finch earned her first win as a Golden Bear for a five-inning effort, tossing four hits and six strikeouts while allowing only one walk. Sophomore Nisa Ontiveros pitched the final two innings, fanning three with two hits. Meagan Hendrix (2-1) was charged with the loss.
“This past weekend has been really hard for Cal Athletics and for us as a team,” Cordes said. “We really learned to pick each other up and be there for each other. Everything we’ve gone through this weekend just shows me there’s so much more to come. Not only the stuff we dealt with off the field, but also on the field. Theres a lot of good things to come.”
Cal’s next tournament begins Friday in San Diego, Calif. for the Campbell/Cartier Classic. The Bears start against South Dakota at 2 p.m. PT.
