Box Scores: CSUDH 5, SSU 3 | SSU 7, CSUDH 0

ROHNERT PARK, Calif- After a 5-3 heartbreaking loss in the opener, Sonoma State rallied for seven runs in the regular season finale to shutout Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-0, and secure one of four spots in next weekend's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament in Stockton. The Seawolves, who gave their five seniors a win in their final home game, improve to 33-20 overall and 23-13 in the CCAA. The Toros fall to 27-22 and 17-15 in conference and will await their postseason fate.

Cal State Dominguez Hills 5, Sonoma State 3

Both teams came out swinging in what would be the final regular season doubleheader for both the Seawolves and the Toros. It was Cal State Dominguez Hills that drew first blood on a RBI sacrifice fly by Melissa Pacheco to take the 1-0 lead.

Sonoma State came right back in its first at bat when Rochelle Vanyi reached on an error by first baseman Jackie Reyes. It allowed Kayla Ledford to come around and score from second base to knot the game at 1-1.

Vanyi would then lead off the fourth inning with a double down the left field line followed by a Brittany Martinez RBI single to score Vanyi. A couple of batters later, up 2-1, Ali Palermo put down the squeeze bunt that brought home Tatiana Pizarro and the Seawolves held a 3-1 lead.

Meanwhile, Julianne Martinez, who came on for Samantha Lipperd in the fifth, shut down four Toros in a row before allowing a walk in the sixth. A single would put two runners on base, but J. Martinez would work herself out of the jam. However, she ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the seventh, allowing a double and two singles, including a RBI hit through the right side to cut the Seawolf lead to one at 3-2. Lipperd re-entered the game and gave up a three-run blast to Emily McEwen which put CSUDH up 5-3.

The Toros' Stephanie Jimenez (13-9), who relieved Lauren Harper in the fourth, shut down the Seawolves in order to secure the win in game one. She gave up just one hit in four innings of work and struckout four.

Lipperd struckout eight batters in her four and two-thirds innings of work, becoming the program's all-time strikeouts leader, surpassing Brenda Scally's 14-year-old record of 426. Lipperd now has 431 career K's, including a season-record 289 this year. J. Martinez (8-7) was tagged with the loss as she was responsible for the runners on base when McEwen hit the deep fly off Lipperd in the seventh. The two hurlers combined to allow nine CSUDH hits in the ball game.

Sonoma State 7, Cal State Dominguez Hills 0

The tables had turned in game two and Sonoma State came firing back with a vengence, almost expecting to send its seniors off with a win. That they did.

With one out in the second, Palermo laid down another squeeze bunt to score Vanyi from third and moving B. Martinez over to third. With runners on second and third, as Palermo moved to second on the attempt to get Vanyi at home on the bunt, Vanessa Currie lined a two-RBI double to put Sonoma State up 3-0. Vanyi would then tack on another run in the fourth with a RBI double to score Ledford.

Vanyi came up big again in the fifth with a leadoff home run down the left field line to put the Seawolves in a comfortable five-run lead. To make sure the seniors were sent off with the win, freshman Megan Konieczka blasted a pinch-hit two-run home run over the right center field fence, helping SSU cruise to the 7-0 win to close out the regular season.

Lipperd (22-8) allowed just one hit in five innings of work, striking out four. Ciara Becerril came on in the sixth and gave up just one hit herself to keep the powerful Cal State Dominguez Hills lineup off the scoreboard.

Vanyi had a monster game in the nightcap, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, including the double and home run. Ledford had two hits and a run scored as the Seawolves racked up 11 hits against three Toro pitchers. Harper (12-12) was tagged with the loss for the Toros.

Sonoma State will set its sights on the CCAA Championship Tournament next weekend and is looking to defend the title. Dates, times and seedings are yet to be announced with the majority of the conference finishing up its schedule on Friday and Saturday. Stay tuned to sonomaseawolves.com for the latest updates regarding the CCAA tournament at Arnaiz Stadium in Stockton.

For more information about the tournament, visit the CCAA Softball Championship web site by clicking here or visiting the conference web site at www.goccaa.org.