The Big West’s two representatives’ respective 2023 campaigns have come to an end Saturday in the regional round of the NCAA Softball Championship. Big West champion Long Beach State dropped a 2-1 game to Loyola Marymount in an elimination game. Cal State Fullerton, at-large qualifiers for the national tournament, defeated UNC Greensboro 5-0, before being downed by Auburn 5-0 at Clemson.
Long Beach State wraps up its season with a 31-23 record and made its 26th appearance in the national postseason. Cal State Fullerton ends its campaign at 34-21 and made it to the NCAA Championship for the 31st time as a program.
| Cal State Fullerton 5, UNC Greensboro 0 |
Box Score
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Cal State Fullerton downed UNC Greensboro 5-0 in an elimination game in the regional round of the NCAA Championship, Saturday at Clemson’s McWhorter Stadium.
The Cal State Fullerton pitching duo of Myka Sutherlin, The Big West Pitcher of the Year, and Haley Rainey combined for a one-hit shutout. Sutherlin improved to 20-10 and struck out nine, giving up the lone hit and issuing two walks. Haley Rainey pitched two perfect innings of relief.
The game started off as with no hits midway through the fourth inning. Then, the Titans broke the game open, getting seven of their eight hits in the bottom of the fourth for five runs.
Hanna Becerra singled, stole second and came home on a Daisy Munoz double. Ava Arce pinch ran for Munoz and scored on Deshea Hill’s single. Jessi Alcala hit a two-bagger to advance Hill to third and Evelyn Saban brought both in on a double to the outfield. Sophia Guevara brought in Sablan on a bouncer up the middle for the final run of the inning.
| Loyola Marymount 2, Long Beach State 1 |
Recap courtesy of longbeachstate.com |
Box Score
STANFORD, Calif. -- Long Beach State threatened all afternoon long and took the first lead of the day, but Loyola Marymount ended up being the ones to extend their season in Saturday's NCAA elimination game, rallying to beat the Beach 2-1 at the Stanford Regional.
Long Beach State (31-23) had baserunners on in every inning against Loyola Marymount (28-21), but were wanting of the breakthrough hit for much of the day while holding their own against the Lions.
The Beach left two runners on in the first inning, but the Lions were able to work out of trouble in what would be a theme of the early innings. A double from Cam Cecil started off the second inning, then Sara Olson reached on a two-base error to begin the third, but each time, the Beach couldn't punch across the run, part of 11 runners left on base during the day.
Long Beach State finally broke through in the top of the fifth. Sara Olson led off in the inning with a walk, and Jacquelyn Bickar followed with a double as the top of the order set the table once again. Makayla Medellin then drove in a run with an RBI single to give the Beach a 1-0 lead.
Fernandez was outstanding for five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth. The junior had walked just one batter through the first five, but walked the first Loyola Marymount batters to spark a Lion rally.
With the bases loaded, Shannon Haddad got a critical out with a strikeout in relief, and the Beach nearly escaped the inning with a sure double play from Carly Robbins, but the grounder was ruled just foul, and Taylor Fitch capitalized with a two-run double to put LMU in the lead.
Long Beach State made one final push in the seventh, as Mikayla Ceballos and Sinclair Lawhorn put the winning run in scoring position with a single and walk with two outs, but Jenna Perez closed out the game to grab her 14th win of the season.
With the defeat, Long Beach State's 26th postseason appearance comes to an end, with two one-run losses. Cecil hit .500 to lead the offense in the tournament, while Haddad and Fernandez allowed just three runs combined over 12.0 innings pitched.
At 31-23 the 2023 season was the 29th 30-win campaign for the Big West Champions, who claimed the title for the 10th time in program history behind the leadership of Big West Coach of the Year Kim Sowder.
| Auburn 5, Cal State Fullerton 0 |
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Cal State Fullerton was shutout by 16th-ranked Auburn 5-0 and ended its season in the regional round of the NCAA Softball Championship, Saturday at Clemson’s McWhorter Stadium.
The game featured a two-hour rain delay in the middle of the fourth inning.
The Titans could not solve Auburn pitcher Shelby Lowe, as the ace started off with five perfect innings. Cal State Fullerton’s best chance of scoring came in the sixth inning as Evelyn Sablan and Sophia Guerra got hits to put runners on the corners.
The Tigers scored one run in the first, two in the fourth and two in the fifth inning.