SEATTLE - A stumble in the opening round of action seems to have only strengthened the Lancers' resolve in Seattle, and California Baptist softball defeated UT Arlington, 4-1, and Utah Valley, 5-4, on Friday to reach its first Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship series in program history. They will face off with the top-seeded Grand Canyon Lopes to secure their place in Saturday's finale after handing UVU their first loss of the day on Friday.
GAME ONE: #2 CBU 4 - #6 UTA 1
The Mavericks came into Friday's game with a ton of confidence after eliminating tournament host Seattle U the night before, 2-1. That confidence was matched by a Lancer team who were ready for the challenge. They were so prepared, they plated the first run of the game just two batters in as Priscilla Estrada smacked her second RBI triple of the tournament to bring Merissa Borkowski all the way home from first.
The Mavs would answer with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning after being gifted a pair of base runners via walks, but that was the last time they would be within reach. CBU held the Mavs to just two hits over the next four innings, scoring three more runs during that span. Kate Penberthy led that charge with her first homer of the tournament, a two-run shot to centerfield, scoring Sydney Soto in what would eventually be the game-winning swing.
Soto's at bat in the fifth would bring in
Kayla Lyon for an insurance run in the fifth, pushing CBU to its final scoreline. Penberthy had her fingerprints all over this game, even completing an unassisted double play at third by snagging a line drive and tagging the runner off the bag at third, all in the same motion, to tally outs two and three of the sixth inning and squash the Maverick's best chance to score late in the game.
Presley Hosick was dealing in game one, earning her 13th win of the season after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing just four hits and one earned. Four walks hurt as the lone run that scored for UTA was a walked batter, but Hosick's defense picked her up along the way, turning a pair of double plays and fielding a clean game with 17 ground and flyouts. Morgan McConnell would allow just one hit over two innings of relief to cash in her third save of the season.
GAME TWO: #2 CBU 5 - #3 UVU 4
Just an hour after eliminating UT Arlington, CBU was back on the diamond to face off with Utah Valley again, but this time in a win-or-go-home situation. The Wolverines had been shut out in the first game on Friday, 4-0, by Grand Canyon, and suddenly found themselves reeling. That left the door open for CBU, and the Lancers crashed right through it, spearheaded by senior Maya Martinez. The second baseman-turned-outfielder wasted no time making her mark on this game as she blasted the first grand slam of the season for CBU in the top of the first inning.
The Lancers would swing through the entire batting order in the first but would only capitalize the one time to give McConnell a four-run lead to start within the circle. The Wolverines would slowly chip away at CBU's lead, scoring one in the top of the second and three more over a four-batter stretch in the fifth to tie up the game.
Senior hurler Jazmine Castaneda would come in to close out the now-tied ballgame, making easy work of the Wolverine side in the sixth and sitting them down in order. Pinch-hitter Maya Avila collected her seventh pinch-hit RBI of the season in the bottom half of the frame, scoring Bobbiann Pratt from second on a single to center.
Castaneda had a lead to protect and was within three outs of her first postseason win. UVU got to her initially with an infield single, moved over by a sacrifice bunt, and hit the third batter. Following that, Castaneda dialed it in, forcing a foul out to Kayla Lyon behind the plate and an easy pop-fly to Estrada at third to seal the game.
Of historic note, Borkowski became the Division I single-season hits leader with her second inning bunt. She breaks the mark set just last season by teammate Estrada, and is the first Lancer batter to top 70 hits in a season since Jaque Lopez in 2016.
The Friday victories continue to add to CBU's record win total, which now stands at 33 for the season. The Lancers will need two more wins to punch their ticket to NCAA's as victors of the consolation bracket. The still-undefeated Lopes will need just one win to secure the trophy and, more importantly, their second-straight NCAA postseason appearance instead of CBU's first. The Lancers and Lopes will play game one on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Logan Field. After CBU's victory, game two will start at 4:00 p.m. local time, with the winner claiming the 2024 WAC Tournament title.
