As the last home date of the season, Saturday, April 19, marked the first-ever Senior Day for Cal State San Marcos softball.  When the games ended, senior Leilani Madrigal and her teammates had a memory that would last a lifetime.

That’s because the Cougars pulled a shocking upset of No. 1 Cal Baptist in game one Saturday.  While CSUSM’s resume is certainly impressive at  No. 20, Cal Baptist has been virtually unbeatable this season. The Lancers came in with a 46-4 record, a team batting average of nearly .350, a team ERA of 1.28, and a ridiculous 33 home runs.

But none of that mattered to the inspired Cougars in game one as CSUSM rode starter Melissa Lerno to a thrilling 1-0 win in nine innings. Cal Baptist got a measure of revenge in game two, winning 10-0.

In that first game, the Cougars faced Cal Baptist ace Amy Thomas, a first-team All-American and arguably the best pitcher in the NAIA.  But CSUSM came out ready, with Elizabeth Bush and Karen Morizi leading off with back-to-back singles.  The rally was quickly extinguished though when Bush was caught stealing and Morizi was caught in a double-play.

Thomas’ counterpart was Cougar ace Melissa Lerno, who, after Saturday’s start, may be the “best pitcher in the NAIA” conversation.  Lerno looked fantastic against the Lancers’ potent lineup and was on her game and locked in from start to finish. 

She got some early help in the second, courtesy of a beautiful diving stab by third baseman Lauren Nelson.  A potential run was cut down in the third, when a relay from Elizabeth Bush to Erica Coelho to Kimi Villalpando cut down a runner at the plate.

With both pitchers looking great, it was clear that runs would be few and far between.  A two-out error by the Cougars in the fifth was potentially dangerous – but catcher Kimi Villalpando gunned down the runner trying to steal to neutralize the threat.  The Cougars put two on with no out in the bottom of the inning, but a failed sacrifice bunt and a pair of groundouts kept the game scoreless.

Lerno continued to roll in the sixth, inducing an inning-ending double-play turned beautifully by Lauren Nelson and Erica Coelho.  Thomas pitched around a Shanti Poston single to get through the bottom of the inning, sending the scoreless tie into the seventh.

Lerno plowed through the Lancers, striking out the final two hitters to retire the side.  Thomas matched her, however, sending the game to extras, where each team starts with a runner on second.

In Cal Baptist’s half inning, Lerno struck out the first hitter, who was trying to bunt.  The second hitter successfully bunted, putting a runner on third with two outs.  That led to a showdown between Lerno and CBU hitter Kelly Maconachy – a showdown that Lerno won, inducing a fly ball that Leilani Madrigal ran down.

The Cougars took their turn, with Nicolette Nassif placed just two bases away from upsetting the No. 1 team.  But like CBU, CSUSM couldn’t execute the sacrifice bunt, and Nassif was thrown out at third. 

The game went scoreless to the ninth, where Lerno continued to amaze.  Maconachy was placed on second, and successfully sacrificed over.  CBU tried a safety squeeze, but the runner on third held.  With two outs, Nikki Lowe ripped a ball to left, but Madrigal was able to squeeze it for the final out.

That gave the Cougars another shot to pull the upset, and this time, they didn’t miss it.  Morizi was placed on second, and reached third on a crucial passed ball.  CBU elected to walk the next two hitters, loading the bases for red-hot Shanti Poston.  Poston wasted no time in claiming the “hero” title, chopping a single over the shortstop’s head.  The Cougar dugout charged Morizi as she crossed home plate, marking the biggest victory in CSUSM softball history.

While Poston got the big hit, it was Lerno’s brilliance that made the win possible.  Facing a team that, once again, came in hitting .347 with 33 homers on the year, Lerno was absolutely lights-out.  She threw all nine innings, allowing just two hits while walking three and striking out four.  Despite two errors, her defense was outstanding as well, making numerous nice plays to help her earn the shutout.

The win pushes Lerno’s record to 10-6 on the year, while the loss drops Thomas to 25-3.

Game two pitted CSUSM’s Brenna Sandberg against Cal Baptist’s Melanie Ahumada.  Sandberg quickly established that CBU would have to work to get its revenge, retiring the side in order in the first and working around a pair of hits to get out of the second.

Sandberg wiggled out of another jam in the third, as a two-base error put a runner on third with one out for CBU.  But the batter missed a suicide squeeze attempt, hanging the runner out to dry and keeping the game scoreless.

Kimi Villalpando recorded the first base hit of the game for the Cougars in the third, but Ahumada got out of it on a highly sketchy infield fly double-play call.

Cal Baptist got its first run of the day the following inning, as Nikki Lowe boomed a leadoff double, and eventually scored on a sac fly.  Sandberg rebounded though, getting out of the fifth thanks to a nice sliding catch by Elizabeth Bush in center.

But CBU blew the game open in the sixth, recording six consecutive hits en route to making it 7-0.  Ahumada closed out her two-hit shutout in the seventh, and CBU ended up winning 10-0.

Despite the game two set-back, the upset victory in game one stands as CSUSM’s most impressive game of the season, and should bolster the team’s bid for the playoffs.