Cal Poly’s best opportunity to seize victory occurred during the eighth after freshman shortstop Leilani Allen led off with a base hit before Cooper followed with a one-out single. Long Beach State reliever Kate Barnett (4-4), however, forced outs from the next two spots in Cal Poly’s lineup to preserve the deadlock.
With Mustang starting freshman righthander Kaylee Davis returning to the circle during the eighth, Guerrero flied a full-count delivery over the center field wall to hand The Beach the lead. The Mustangs, meanwhile, were retired in order by Barnett during the bottom of the ninth.
Offensively, Cooper finished 3-for-3 to improve her team leading batting average to .393. Defensively, Byrd (right) recorded 12 of 27 outs in center field.
With two Big West regular season series remaining, Cal Poly visits Hawai’i for a Friday, April 24 doubleheader (5 p.m. PT) and Saturday, April 25 solo matchup (2 p.m.).