Cal Softball Continues Their Conquering Against No. 3 Washington

After dealing with the tenth-ranked Furd in Palo Alto, it seemed like Cal would meet a match for them in conference play when they drew the third ranked Huskies. Washington had plenty of strong attributes that would make them a good match for any squad.

They got tests at home. Plenty of tests in fact. But the result was always the same: A Golden Bear victory, a Golden Bear sweep.

Cal 2, Washington 1

Jolene Henderson looked like she would be outpitched for the first time all season; despite giving up no earned runs, Cal trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, as Kaitlin Inglesby had given up one hit through six innings and had singled in the only run of the game for the Huskies.

But then Frani Echavarria doubled, Jamia Reid got a single, Valerie Arioto (who is a Senior CLASS Award finalist, vote for her!) drew a walk, and with the bases loaded and a 2-2 count down a run, Jace Williams sent the Bears home happy with a ball down the left field line. Happy days commence!

Cal 5, Washington 3

Rain postponed the Saturday game, and the Sunday doubleheader turned sweet for the Bears. It was Frani's turn to explode on Sunday, scoring two runs and nailing a home run. Britt Vonk (RBI double), Cheyenne Cordes (RBI walk), and Danielle Henderson (2 RBI single) provided the rest of the scoring.

Postgame With Danielle and Frani (April 1) (via CalSoftball)

Arioto struck out nine and had a 5-0 lead through five innings, then held on when the Huskies managed a furious rally. Val improved to 15-0 on the season.

Postgame with Valerie Arioto (April 1) (via CalSoftball)

Cal 6, Washington 4

Again Cal struck early, leading 4-0 through two innings and 6-2 through six. Arioto put up her 15th home run, Jamia Reid managed a two run RBI, and Victoria Jones and Ella Reid managed RBI doubles.

Postgame with Valerie Arioto and Jamia Reid (April 1) (via CalSoftball)

Jolene struck out another ten and held off another late UW rally. Henderson also earned Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors with her 19 strikeouts and 2.00 ERA against the third best team in then nation. Jamia Reid also had a great week with a .467 slugging percentage and four RBIs.

Postgame With Jolene Henderson (April 1) (via CalSoftball)

Guess who's now the unanimous number one?

This week:

Cal moves onto face Utah, who has yet to win in the Pac-12, but they are no pushovers at 23-8. The Bears should be favored to win each game though.