TURLOCK — The three super sophomores each had three hits and two other sophomores added two apiece as the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors swept a pair of non-conference games over Academy of Art, 4-3 and 11-6, Wednesday night.
Cassidy Duke,
Morgan Balestreri and
Nicolette Vizcaino — all returning sophomores — each had three hits in the day-night doubleheader to lead the Warriors to increasing their overall record to 9-11 before hosting four CCAA games this weekend against Chico State.
Deenah San Luis, another returing sophomore, and new Warrior
Kailene Begonia each added two more hits as the five second-year players combined for 13 of the teams 17 hits on the night.
The other four hits came from seniors
Jessica Varady with two, as well as
Natalie Rendon and
Holly Mooring.
Begonia tied game one with a two-run blast in the fourth inning and after Art U goes back up 3-2, a Varady RBI and a double-steal resulted in two more Stanislaus runs for the 4-3 advantage.
Varady picked up the win in the opener after five innings of work and
Cheyenne Harper pitched two hitless innings to earn a save.
In the nightcap, after tying the game 4-4 after three innings, a wild fourth inning resulted in four unearned runs to allow the Warriors to take a 8-4 lead. Duke cleared the bases with a single down the right field line for three of those runs.
No one is hotter at the plate than Duke, who went 3-for-5 in the clean-up spot Wednesday. She's now batting .442 on the season with a seven-game hitting streak. During the streak, Duke has gone 12 for 21 (.571) with two doubles, a homer and drove in seven runs. San Luis, who went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple in Wednesday's nightcap, is right there with her, going 12-for-23 for a .522 average.
For the season, after 20 games, four Warriors have 20 or more hits and the deep lineup is featuring seven batters hitting .300 or better.
Natalie Rendon picked up the win in the circle in game two after entering the game in the fourth in relief of Harper.