Western Washington University softball’s two-out, seventh-inning rally fell short and the top-seeded Vikings were upset by No. 4 Cal State San Marcos, 4-3, in the NCAA Division II West Regional semifinals on Friday, May 10.
Western (43-8) was shut out at Bellingham’s Viking Field by CSUSM (37-20) junior pitcher Jayline Sloss after the first inning, but the Vikings finally found a spark with only one out remaining in the game.
Following consecutive strikeouts and trailing 4-1, Vikings junior Kanilehua Pitoy gave Western a glimmer of hope in the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field, extending the game.
Junior Riley Anderson, in her first at-bat of the postseason, put down an RBI single to center field to cut CSUSM’s lead by one. Fellow junior Amaya Davis, also making her first plate appearance of the postseason, kept the rally going with an RBI double to left center field.
Western, now on the cusp of a historic comeback, had its lead-off batter heading to the plate: freshman Maleah Andrews.
With a runner on second and a 3-1 count, Andrews grounded into second base — a mere step away from letting junior Lexi Barcomb attempt to tie or win the game.
In the first six innings, CSUSM outhit Western 8-3. The Vikings had three hits in the first two frames, getting its lone run from Andrews on an error by the Cougars’ catcher in the first.
From there, CSUSM built up a comfortable lead, highlighted by a solo home run from sophomore Jillian Albayati to give the Cougars their first lead, 2-1, in the top of the third.
Sloss pitched a complete game for CSUSM, allowing six hits, two earned runs and one walk while striking out seven. Redshirt junior Mackenzie Kestler led the Cougars on offense, finishing 2 for 3 with two runs scored.
Western’s typically unflappable pitching staff struggled. Junior starter Joie Baker and freshman reliever Kaiana Kong combined to allow eight hits, four earned runs and two walks while striking out five.
Western had only faced Cal State San Marcos once this season, beating the Cougars 1-0 on March 23.
Friday’s loss dropped Western into the loser’s bracket for the first time this postseason. The Vikings will need to win three straight games to advance to the West Super Regional series May 14–15.
Western must beat the winner of No. 5 Cal State East Bay and No. 8 Azusa Pacific at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 10 to keep its season alive.
Connor J. Benintendi is a former CDN sports reporter, send tips and information to newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
