Archived Audio Broadcast
Box Score: Sonoma State 5, #8 Hawai'i Pacific 3

KANEOHE, Hawai'i- Thanks to a four-run fourth inning and the clutch pitching of freshman reliever Ciara Becerril, the Sonoma State softball team eliminated defending national champions and host Hawai'i Pacific with a 5-3 victory in a loser-out game on Saturday evening at Howard A. Okita Field in Kaneohe, Hawai'i. The Seawolves improved to 38-21 with the victory while the eighth-ranked Sea Warriors end their season at 38-12.

Sonoma State will face CCAA-foe Cal State San Bernardino in the NCAA Division II West Sub-Regional Championship for the right to move onto the Super Regional next weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Savings Time (Noon Hawaiian-Aleutian Standard Time) on Sunday.

It will be an all CCAA west region final on Sunday as UC San Diego and Chico State advanced to Sunday's championship game in Chico. The winner of the two sub-regionals will play each other next weekend in a best-of-three series at a site to be determined.

Hawaii Pacific drew first blood when Maile Kim doubled home Chante Tesoro from second base. The Sea Warriors would tack on another run in the third on a double steal by Tesoro and Kozy Toriano, who were on third and first base, respectively.

It was the top of the fourth inning when the Sonoma State bats came to life, plating four runs which began with four straight singles to start the inning. Danielle D'Eccliss singled through the left side, Brittanie Verissimo singled through the same spot at short stop then Skylynn Myers brought home D'Eccliss to score Sonoma State's first run of the game. Rochelle Vanyi singled up the middle to load the bases before Brittany Martinez reached on a fielder's choice, however, Hawai'i Pacific got the lead runner, Verissimo, out at home.

Ali Palermo tied the game at 2-2 after drawing the bases loaded walk. Still, with one out, Kayla Ledford smashed a line drive up the middle that hit off HPU pitcher Breanne Patton and ricochet back towards the first base dugout. One run came around to score and the bases remained loaded, chasing Patton from the game as the Seawolves took the 3-2 lead. Jesse Talaugon followed it up by reaching on a fielder's choice to short stop, allowing Martinez to score. HPU's Celina Garcas' only play was to third to get Palermo out. Nonetheless, the Seawolves took the 4-2 lead.

The bottom of the fourth inning became interesting as SSU starting pitcher Samantha Lipperd was called on four straight illegal pitches, walking Garces, and head coach Jennifer Bridges was forced to replace Lipperd with Julianne Martinez. Martinez, however, was called for two straight illegal pitches as well, moving Garces over to third with no outs, and Bridges elected to go with her freshman pitcher Becerril. Becerril came in and forced Nicole Morrow to pop up to Palermo at first before striking out the next to batters and getting out of the jam.

From then on, Becerril, despite a hiccup in the fifth, cruised through the Hawai'i Pacific lineup. In the fifth, the Sea Warriors put runners on second and third with one out before Caira Pires singled home Tesoro to cut the lead to just one at 4-3. Becerril again pitched her way out of it, forcing two straight fly outs to end the inning.

The Seawolves got an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single by Verissimo, scoring Vanessa Currie from second base, beating the throw home, which ended up being cut off for the 5-3 lead.

It was more than enough, as Becerril (4-5) closed out the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, retiring the final three HPU batters to earn her fourth victory of the season. In four innings of work, she gave up just two hits and one run. She walked one and struckout two.

Sonoma State exploded for 11 hits as Verissimo, Myers and Vanyi each had a pair of hits; SSU outhit HPU 11-5 in the game. Pires had two of the five Sea Warrior hits. Patton (24-4) was tagged with the loss, giving up six hits, four runs and two walks.