May 8, 2015 4 min read

CALIFORNIA – At just 5-6, California University junior pitcher Alex Sagl doesn’t exactly intimidate opponents when she toes the rubber, at least not until she starts throwing.

At that point, the fireballer is right there with Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Aroldis Chapman when it comes to the intimidation factor.

The only difference is that while Chapman is sometimes wild, Sagl has near pinpoint accuracy.

Sagl had it on display Friday as she helped California to an 11-0, five-inning victory over Saint Augustine of Raleigh, N.C., in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional at Lilley Field.

The victory for the top-seeded Vulcans (36-10) advances them into today’s winner’s bracket semifinals in the four-team, double-elimination tournament. California will face Charleston, W.Va., (37-12), a 3-2 winner over Gannon Friday, at 10:30 a.m. Saint Augustine (22-14) will play Gannon (28-15) at 1 p.m. in an elimination game.

Sagl pitched the first four innings yesterday before giving way to Meghan Uher. Sagl allowed two hits and struck out eight. Perhaps most impressive, of her 52 pitches, 40 were strikes.

It was a typical performance for Sagl, who won her 22nd game of the season against just four losses and lowered her ERA to 1.09. She has 230 strikeouts in 167 innings with just 35 walks.

“To go through us, that’s one of the things that you’re going to have to go through,” said California head coach Rick Bertagnolli. “She’s been beaten in the past, but she’s got a great attitude and I’m glad she’s on my side.”

The native of Oakville, Ontario, was a member of the Canadian Junior National Team at the 2013 ISF Junior World Championships and has been dominant since arriving at California that year.

How did she find her way to Western Pennsylvania from Ontario?

“Coach B has always recruited Canadians,” said Sagl. “A bunch of the Canadians from previous years got in contact with me. We all just kind of help him recruit Canadians.”

It’s a little different than recruiting in the United States. Canadian players don’t compete at the high school level. All competitive play is done for club teams.

“It’s just travel ball,” Sagl said. “A lot of the travel ball teams go to showcases. It’s the only way we get seen because there’s no high school at all.”

Friday’s victory improved Sagl’s career record to 66-11. The reigning PSAC West Pitcher of the Year and a 2014 All-American, Sagl’s numbers have gotten better each year.

“Alex obviously is a big part of our pitching staff. All of our pitchers have gotten better every year and Alex is certainly one of those,” said Bertagnolli. “I’m hoping there’s another level for her in the future and so does she. She’s worked very hard to get to where she’s at. It’s no secret. She’s a very well-decorated athlete and maybe has even more coming this season.”

Advancing deep into the NCAA tournament or reaching the championships in Oklahoma City later this month wouldn’t hurt. More efforts like the one she had against Saint Augustine would help make that happen.

“I think our confidence is up,” said Sagl. “And if we can keep hitting like that, I think we can do really well. I want to get to Oklahoma. We want to get there.”

Announcing her presence with authority, Sagl struck out the side to start the game. Before she set foot in the circle again, the game was, effectively, out of reach.

Saint Augustine starter Korey Hill faced nine batters and got just one out before being replaced by Meranda Zanni. Hill allowed four hits and walking four as the Vulcans scored five runs.

Jacquelyn Fowler and Hailey Wilson had back-to-back RBI doubles to highlight the outburst.

It was all Sagl would need.

“I expected our team to hit, but I was really happy with their performance,” Sagl said. “It always feels a lot better.”

The Vulcans continued to add to the lead, scoring three runs each in the bottom of the second and third innings before Bertagnolli began substituting in the fourth with an 11-0 lead. Fowler finished with three RBI on two hits, while Wilson, Megan Jahoda and Natalya Smarra each had two hits and two RBI each.

“When something like that happens, that’s a coach’s dream for me and a nightmare for whoever it’s against,” Bertagnolli said. “We had an outstanding day.”