NCAA Division II West 1 Regional Tournament Central
Video Highlights  |  Postgame Press Conference

SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Sonoma State softball team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but 23rd-ranked Dixie State came from behind to beat the Seawolves, 5-4, in the opening game of the 2017 NCAA Division II West 1 Regional at the Otter Sports Complex in Seaside. 

Sonoma (36-19) will play in an elimination game Friday at 1:30 pm against the loser of the upcoming game between top-seed Cal State Monterey Bay and No. 8 seed Western Washington.  Dixie (40-12) plays the winner of the CSUMB-WWU game Friday at 11:00 am for the right to advance to Saturday's championship game.

The Seawolves got off to a fast start, plating two runs in the top of the first inning.  Jordann White delivered an RBI single to score Karly Macadangdang, then Jenny Collazo scored on a double steal attempt that saw White get thrown out at second as Collazo came home on the throw down to make it a 2-0 ballgame in favor of SSU.

With two outs in the top of the second, Alison Strycula smacked her first home run of the season, a solo shot over the center field fence to put the Seawolves on top 3-0.

However, it only took a matter of several pitches for Dixie State to even things up in the bottom of the second inning.  Kenzie Sawyer led the inning off with a home run to center field, then Jessica Gonzalez singled two pitches later before Arista Honey tied the game up at 3-3 two more pitches later with a home run to left field.

The Trailblazers eventually took a 4-3 lead on a sacrifice fly by Josey Hartman in the fourth inning, but that wouldn't last long as Macadangdang blasted a game-tying solo home run to left field in the top of the fifth to make it 4-4.

It would stay at that way until the bottom of the seventh inning despite several chances by both teams to break the tie.  Dixie State, the higher seed and the home team in the contest, hit into a quick out to begin their half of the seventh, but the Trailblazers' Shelby Yung hit a ball down the right field line that got past Strycula and rolled to the fence allowing Yung to get to third on the play.  The next batter, Bailey Gaffin, hit a fly ball into center field and while Alyssa Cuffia made a nice diving catch, it would allow Yung to score the game-winning run from third base.

Sonoma starting pitcher Brielle Vidmar (14-9) allowed nine hits in the game, walking one and striking out three.  Offensively, all six of the Seawolves' hits came off of Dixie State starter Brooklyn Beardshear, who was chased from the game after giving up the home run to Macadangdang at the beginning of the fifth.  Alexis Barkwell (11-1) came on in relief and shut down SSU's bats, not giving up a hit or even allowing a runner in the final three innings.

The Seawolves will now have to play through the consolation bracket and win four consecutive games in order to advance to next weekend's Super Regional.  They await the loser of the current game between CSUMB and Western Washington.  Live stats of that game can be found here or on the official West 1 Regional Tournament web page here.