2017 NCAA Division II West 1 Regional Tournament Central
Postgame Press Conference  |  Highlights:  vs CSUMB  /  vs WWU

SEASIDE, Calif. -- Facing elimination on Friday, the Sonoma State softball team knocked out Cal State Monterey Bay with a 5-4 win to begin the day, then defeated Western Washington 6-4 a couple hours later, securing themselves a rematch with No. 4 seed and 23rd-ranked Dixie State on Championship Saturday at Noon in Seaside. 

The Seawolves (38-19) will need to win two games against the Trailblazers to advance to next weekend's NCAA Division II West Super Regional; the Trailblazers need to win just one due to the double-elimination format.

With Friday evening's victory over WWU, head coach Jennifer Bridges also earned her 350th NCAA coaching victory, which includes the eight seasons here at Sonoma State and the two seasons she spent as the head coach at Whittier College from 2008-09.  She now has a career coaching record of 350-202-1, including a 305-167-1 mark in eight seasons at SSU.

To watch the postgame press conference with Coach Bridges and junior outfielder Jordann White, click HERE.

The Seawolves got off to a hot start in game one against Cal State Monterey Bay, thanks in large part to the long ball. In the second inning, Jenn Amaral hit a home run to center field, scoring Madison Barto, and giving Sonoma a 2-0 lead. The Otters would get one of those runs back the following inning, after SSU committed two errors in the inning.
 
After limiting the damage in the third inning, Sonoma responded in the bottom of the inning with another home run, this time by Jordann White. Karly Macadangdang would tack on one more run for the Seawolves with a solo home run of her own, increasing the lead to 4-1 heading into the sixth inning.
 
Brigid Ruiz, who had pitched well all game, got into some trouble in the sixth inning. With only six outs remaining in the ball game, the Otters were able to tie the game on a one out RBI double down the right field line, and a two out two RBI single.
 
Now, in essentially a new ball game, the Seawolves looked to reclaim the lead. With two outs and two runners on, Sonoma got a little help from the Otter defense as Alex Flores was able to score the go ahead run on a passed ball by the catcher.
 
With SSU leading 5-4, Ruiz would head back out to the circle in the top of the seventh inning, looking to seal the deal. The sixth inning struggles were long in the past and Ruiz absolutely dialed in when it mattered most. She mowed down the Otters 1-2-3 in the inning with two strikeouts, giving her eight total for the game. In her complete game, Ruiz also gave up nine hits and three earned runs and had no walks, to help propel the Seawolves into the next elimination game.
 
Shortly after securing an exciting win over CSUMB to avoid elimination, Sonoma State found themselves in another tough matchup against Western Washington. The Seawolves established control early on in game two, scoring a run in the first inning on an RBI single from White. Then, they would tack on two more in the third inning thanks to some clutch two out hitting. With two outs in the inning, Alyssa Cuffia smashed a triple down the right field line, knocking in two runs, and increasing the lead to 3-0.
 
The offense did not stop there for the Seawolves as they added three more runs in the next two innings. In the fourth inning, Amaral hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Flores in the process. In the fifth inning, Cuffia knocked in a run on a fielder's choice and Sarah Langley hit an RBI double to give the Seawolves a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
 
However, this is when things started to get scary for Sonoma. Teresa Danenberg got the start in the pitching circle for the Seawolves and was cruising up until the fifth inning. After walking the leadoff batter, she gave up a single and walked another batter to load the bases with only one out. Then, a bases clearing double brought the Vikings within three. The Vikings would tack on one more unearned run on a two out error by Danenberg to pull within two.
 
That would be as close as the Vikings would get, as the Seawolves would hold their 6-4 lead, and advance into the championship. Sonoma tallied 12 hits total in the game, including three from White. Danenberg threw a complete game in the pitching circle, only giving up three hits and three earned runs, while walking four and striking out three.