Fresh off capturing the Silver Bracket Championship in the 2005 Easton Tournament of Champions in Modesto, the 12th-ranked SF State softball team split a conference doubleheader against the Chico State Wildcats on April 9, ending their four-game winning streak.

Junior pitchers Holly Pearce and Sonja Garnett - who both made the All-Easton Tournament of Champions Team - continued their solid pitching for the Gators (28-11, 14-4 CCAA) by combining to give up only two earned runs.

Junior catcher Mary Cunnie carried the Gators’ offense. She finished the day with five hits, including two doubles, and smacked in two runs.

Pearce (7-3) started the first game. She pitched seven innings and kept her team in contention by surrendering only one run. The lone run came in the top of the third inning when Pearce left a screwball sitting high, enabling Wildcat sophomore Nickie Jarrett to drive it over the left field fence for a home run.

“Holly threw a great game, and we just weren’t able to score enough runs to pull it out for her,” said head coach Kristi Lansford.

The Wildcats (18-9, 9-8 CCAA) rallied behind the strong pitching performance of senior pitcher Katie Stokx.

Stokx (6-5) managed to keep the Gators from touching home most of the game. She gave up one earned run and shut down all other threats by the Gators to take the lead.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, senior shortstop Chrissy Hildebrandt drew a walk that started the Gators’ only run-scoring rally, then advanced on Stokx’ wild pitch past the catcher. Just as the Wildcats seemed poised to end the rally with two outs, Cunnie delivered, hitting a double that scored Hildebrand and tied the game 1-1.

The Gators had one more chance to win the first game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Stokx appeared to be running out of gas, as she gave up two singles and a walk to load up the bases for Hildebrandt with two outs. The Wildcat pitcher buckled down, throwing two straight strikes and going ahead in the count 0-2. Hildebrandt battled back, fouling off the next two pitches before grounding out, stranding the three runners.

The game went into an extra inning, and the Gators handed the game over to Garnett. Garnett (20-5) opened the eighth by giving up a walk to senior shortstop Megan Farnham on a borderline 3-2 pitch. The Wildcats then sacrificed Farnham over to second on a bunt by Jarrett.

With two outs and a runner in scoring position, Stokx hit an infield popup that fell between Hildebrandt and sophomore second baseman Vanessa Rodrigue, allowing runners at the corners on first and third. Sophomore first baseman Chelsea Lundberg followed by putting the ball in play to shortstop Hildebrandt, who had trouble getting the ball out of her glove, allowing the game-clinching run to score for the Wildcats. The Wildcats won by a final score of 3-1.

Stokx finished the bottom of the eighth for a complete-game victory while Garnett took the loss without allowing an earned run.

The Gators finished the day on a positive note by playing up to their capabilities, beating the Wildcats 3-1 in the second game.

“This was the first time we’ve met (the Wildcats) this season, and I think the anticipation of playing them made us too tight and nervous (in our approach) the first game,” Lansford said. “They knew what they had to do in order to win the second game.”

Coming off her relief appearance in the first game, Garnett pitched a complete game, allowing one earned run and striking out four.

With the Wildcats oozing with confidence after the first game, they jumped all over Garnett in the first inning on a two-out rally that scored junior second baseman Allison Shirley on a single by Stokx.

That would be the only run Garnett would allow as she regained her dominant form, swinging the momentum back to the Gators. Garnett would only need four pitches to record three outs the following inning.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Gator offense was able to swim out of the swamp and come alive. They hit Wildcat pitcher Kristin Paese (10-3) hard and scored two runs. Garnett helped out her own quest to gain her 20th victory by singling in a run to take the lead.

“We started to believe in our offense in the second game,” Hildebrandt said.

Cunnie stayed hot in the second game and collected two more hits and an RBI.

“I was really relaxed at the plate, and I hit best when I’m relaxed,” she said.