IRVINE, CALIF. – The OUAZ softball team found itself matching up with #7 Jessup for the fifth time this month, playing the Warriors in the first game of the GSAC Tournament. The two teams played close all afternoon long, but a three-run sixth inning by Jessup broke a 2-2 deadlock, and the Spirit were on the wrong side of a 5-2 final.
After giving up two runs in the first inning, the Spirit put together great at-bats in the third inning to cut the deficit in half. A pair of singles and an error loaded the bases, then Lauren Russel drove in OUAZ's first run to make it a 2-1 contest through three.
The sixth inning got off to a great start for the Spirit, as Kelli Samorano lead off the frame with a walk. Kaylee Ramirez would pinch run, steal second base, reach third on a passed ball, then come around to touch home on a Brianna Humphries single to tie the game.
A catcher's interference call to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning was the first of four consecutive batters to reach for Jessup, which also included a pair of triples and a single. The Warriors would score three times in the inning, and the Spirit would not score in the seventh to end the contest.
OUAZ had seven hits on the day, with Humphries, Elysa Moreno, and Serena Shine responsible each getting two. Shine also had a triple, smacking one down the right field line in the fifth inning.
The Spirit will now play in an elimination game tomorrow, taking on three-seed and 14th-ranked Hope International. First pitch from OC Great Park is set for 3 p.m.
