PALO ALTO – The Big West Conference-champion Cal Poly softball team stranded 10 baserunners and Nevada starting righthander Katie Holverson scattered six hits as the Mustangs opened their second NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon at the double-elimination, Stanford-hosted Palo Alto Regional with a 3-1 loss to the Wolf Pack. With the defeat at Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium, Cal Poly was relegated to Saturday’s 3 p.m. loser’s bracket semifinal elimination matchup against Portland State.

 

Mustang sophomore lefthander and Big West Pitcher of the Year Anna Cahn (27-6) failed to allow a walk and tossed 73 percent of her 109 pitches for strikes, but, after yielding 12 hits, saw a 13-start winning streak snapped in suffering her first defeat since March 28. The Mustangs (39-11), who stranded multiple baserunners during four separate innings, produced consecutive hits on just one occasion against Western Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up Nevada (40-17).

 

Cal Poly, eliminated in two games at the Provo Regional two years ago, seeks its first postseason victory at the Division I level and a new single-season program record for victories against Portland State (29-25), which fell to the host Cardinal (45-9) late Friday, 10-3. With its victory, Nevada faces Stanford (45-9) Saturday at 12 noon for a spot in Sunday’s championship series. Should Cal Poly prevail against Portland State, the Mustangs will face the loser of the Stanford-Nevada matchup in another elimination game at 6 p.m. Andrew Tomsky will handle play-by-play duties at GoPoly.com, beginning with the pre-game show at 2:45 p.m.

 

The Wolf Pack led from the onset Friday as a two-out single in the first inning from Nevada third baseman Sam Bias plated left fielder Brittany Puzey. Cal Poly returned during the bottom half of the inning to deadlock the scoreline. With two outs, senior second baseman Stephanie Tam running at second base and Cahn on first, Mustang senior shortstop Melissa Pura pounded a grounder to Nevada shortstop Danielle Patrick. Instead of securing the force out at second, Patrick threw on to first and, in failing to beat Pura, allowed Tam to score from second.

 

Cal Poly’s best chance to grab the first NCAA Tournament lead in program history occurred during the third. Tam led off the inning with a walk before consecutive Nevada fielding errors on balls batted by junior first baseman Krysten Cary and Cahn loaded the bases with no outs. Pura, however, flew out and sophomore catcher Stephanie Correia hit into an inning-ending double play to cancel any threat.

 

Nevada responded immediately during the fourth to Cal Poly’s squandered opportunity as a one-out squeeze bunt from catcher Katie Stith brought a racing Sarah Hunt home from third. Patrick, the next Pack hitter, proceeded to dump a two-strike base hit into short right field to score pinch runner Amanda Nims and deliver Nevada a 3-1 advantage.

 

The Mustangs returned in the fourth to load the bases but, with one out, Tam produced a fielder’s choice that forced senior center fielder Jessica Rogers out at home before Cary struck out to end the threat.

 

“During the season we’d been in these situations and usually responded with hits. Today, we let the at-bats get to big and became anxious,” fifth-year Cal Poly head coach Jenny Condon said. “(Saturday) we need to be more patient and look for better pitches.”

 

Cal Poly again stranded two runners in the sixth but, after Hunt finalized the scoreline for Nevada during the seventh with a run-scoring hit, Holverson set down the Mustangs in order in the last half inning to improve to 28-9.

 

Mustang freshman right fielder Nora Sobczak (above) reached base in each of her three plate appearances.