2026 Big West softball champion California State Fullerton stayed alive in the 2026 NCAA Softball Championship with a 3-2 walk-off victory over California on Saturday afternoon before later seeing its postseason run come to a valiant close following a 4-2 setback to later the same evening in an elimination game at the Los Angeles Regional at Easton Stadium on the campus of UCLA.
| Cal State Fullerton 3, California Baptist 2 |
Box Score |
Interactive Bracket
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Titans opened the day with a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory over California Baptist, extending their postseason run at Easton Stadium.
Cal State Fullerton wasted little time getting on the board in the opening frame. Colby McClinton led off with a single before advancing into scoring position. Alexia Lopez later delivered an RBI double to left center, scoring McClinton and giving the Titans a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
California Baptist responded in the second after Victoria Macias reached base before Sydney Peterson launched a two-run home run to center field, swinging momentum in favor of the Lancers at 2-1.
From there, Eva Hurtado settled into the circle and kept California Baptist off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Hurtado limited the Lancers to just four hits over seven complete innings while striking out three batters. The right-hander improved to 16-4 on the season after throwing 106 pitches in the victory.
The Titans evened the score in the fifth inning after McClinton sparked the offense again with a leadoff double. Later in the frame, Ava Arce lined an RBI single to plate McClinton and tie the contest at 2-2.
Cal State Fullerton completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh. McClinton reached base for the fourth time in the game with a single before advancing into scoring position. Arce followed with another RBI base hit, driving home McClinton for the walk-off victory and sending the Titans into the next round of the regional.
McClinton paced the Titans’ offense with a perfect 3-for-3 outing alongside three runs scored and a walk. Arce finished with two hits and two RBI while Lopez, Sarah Perez, Maggie Paulovich, and Sarah Coccillos each added hits in the win. Perez also recorded a double while Paulovich added a double of their own.
Cal State Fullerton totaled nine hits in the contest and did not commit an error defensively. The Titans stranded seven runners on base and held California Baptist to just 4-for-25 hitting overall. Peterson accounted for both RBI for the Lancers, while Hurtado retired 10 batters via groundout in the complete-game performance.
| Cal State Fullerton 2, South Carolina 4 |
Box Score |
Interactive Bracket |
CSF Presser
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Later Saturday evening, the Titans battled South Carolina before falling 4-2 in an elimination matchup to conclude the regional.
The Gamecocks opened the scoring in the top of the second inning after Karley Shelton delivered an RBI double before Lexi Winters followed with a run-scoring single, pushing the Gamecocks ahead 2-0.
CSF answered in the bottom of the fourth. Lulu Sanchez worked a leadoff walk before Maggie Paulovich ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to cut the deficit in half. Later in the inning, Coccillos lined a single into the outfield, scoring Paulovich and evening the score at 2-2.
The Gamecocks regained the lead in the fifth after Tate Davis delivered an RBI double to center field, plating Quincee Lilio for a 3-2 advantage. South Carolina added an insurance run in the seventh when Shelton crossed home following another Davis RBI knock.
The Titans threatened late after Gianna Lomeli recorded a pinch-hit single in the sixth and Arce collected two hits in the contest, but South Carolina’s pitching staff held Fullerton scoreless over the final three innings.
Paulovich highlighted the Titans' offense with a double and an RBI, while Coccillos also drove in a run. Arce finished 2-for-3 at the plate, and Perez added a double in the loss. Kate Verhoef also collected a hit while Sanchez reached base and scored one of Fullerton’s two runs.
Inside the circle, Hurtado made the start and tossed 2.2 innings with one strikeout. 2026 Big West Championship MVP Leanna Garcia added two innings of relief while Trisha McCleskey closed the game with four strikeouts across 2.1 innings. McCleskey allowed just two hits in relief and threw 26 strikes across 36 pitches.
Cal State Fullerton totaled seven hits in the contest while South Carolina finished with eight. Davis paced the Gamecocks’ offense with two RBI and two hits, while Tori Ensley recorded a pair of hits and Shelton added a double and an RBI. Defensively, the Titans turned in an error-free performance for the second consecutive game of the regional.
Gallery: (5-16-2026) 2026 SB NCAA Championship: CSF Day 2