TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 21 California softball team opened its season with a split on the first of the Kajikawa Classic on Friday, defeating Minnesota (9-4) before falling to Maryland (6-3) at Farrington Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
In the win, the Golden Bears (1-1) were led by
Mika Lee and
Lagi Quiroga, who combined to go 5-of-7 at the plate with three RBIs.
Game 1: Cal – 9 | Minnesota – 4
The Bears got off to a hot start en route to an 8-0 lead through four frames. In the first at-bat, Quiroga launched a solo shot to center field to put Cal on the board. Lee quickly followed with a homer of her own to give the Bears a 2-0 lead after one. Freshman
Mia Phillips joined the party after notching her first career home run to push the lead to 3-1 after three innings.
Leading 4-0, Cal added four runs in the fourth, led by
Alyssa Herrera's solo home run to center field. Freshman pitcher
Miranda De Nava earned the win in her collegiate debut. De Nava secured seven strikeouts in three innings while allowing three hits and one run.
Game 2: Cal – 3 | Maryland - 6
The Bears fell behind early after the Terps earned three runs through two innings. Herrera dropped in an RBI double to get Cal on the board. Maryland added three additional runs in the third to take a 6-1 lead. Bell knocked in her second hit of the day to score a runner.
Pitcher
Annabel Teperson took the mound in the fourth and completely shut down the Terps for the remainder of the evening after securing two strikeouts and not giving up any runs or hits.
Kaylee Pond drilled her first home run of the season to give the Bears hope heading into the final frame. Maryland recorded three straight outs to secure the win.
UP NEXT
Cal returns to the field for the second day of the Kajikawa Classic with another doubleheader, beginning with Utah at 8 a.m. PT, followed by a rematch against Maryland at 10:15 a.m. PT.
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