LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Sonoma State softball team won twice on Saturday with wins over Northwest Nazarene and Western Washington, but the Seawolves suffered a 12-2 defeat at the hands of Hawaii Hilo on Sunday to wrap up the three-day MSUB Desert Stinger this weekend in Las Vegas.
 
For the weekend, Sarah Langley paced the offense with seven hits, three of them doubles, and three RBI.  Alee Balanon smashed two home runs and brought home five runs while Cameron Kirtlan hit her first collegiate home run in Sunday's loss to Hawaii Hilo.  Balanon, Kirtlan and Lindsey Calcany Blair all have five hits each.
 
Sonoma State will hop right into conference play next weekend in La Jolla, facing UC San Diego in a four-game series beginning with Friday's doubleheader set for a 12:00 pm first pitch.
 
Saturday – Sonoma State 5, Northwest Nazarene 4 (8 innings)
 
Trailing by a pair of runs with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Aubrey Blankenburg delivered a pinch-hit single before giving way to Jenn Amaral on the base paths.  Amaral proceeded to steal second base, the move to third on a single by Julie Davis. Amaral and Davis then pulled off a double steal to put the Seawolves within one run.  The Nighthawks induced a fly out for out number two, but Alex Flores poked a single through the left side scoring Davis to even the game at 3-3.
 
Holding NNU scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, the Seawolves took the lead in the eighth on a two-run error to get the upper hand 5-3.  The Nighthawks managed to get a run across in their half of the eighth, but that was all as Sonoma held on for the 5-4 win.
 
Alee Balanon crushed a solo home run to lead off the game to account for the other SSU run in the ballgame.  Ruiz earned the victory in the pitching circle, allowing two unearned runs on eight hits.
 
Saturday – Sonoma State 9, Western Washington 2
 
After giving up an early run to the Vikings, the Seawolves responded with two runs in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI double by Karly Macadangdang and another RBI by Alyssa Cuffia for a 2-1 advantage.  Sonoma broke things open in the fourth inning, plating five runs, four of which came off one swing of Balanon's bat, a grand slam that sailed over the right center field fence.  That came after an RBI double by Sarah Langley.  The Seawolves scored a run in each of the final two innings to complete the 9-2 win wrapping up day two at the MSUB Desert Stinger.
 
Macadangdang went 3 for 4 with the RBI double, Balanon was 2 for 4 with her grand slam, and Cuffia was 1 for 3 with a pair of RBI.  Teresa Danenberg went the distance in the circle for SSU, giving up 2 runs (one earned) on 10 hits, striking out seven.
 
Sunday – Hawai'I Hilo 12, Sonoma State 2
 
The Vulcans raced out to an 8-0 lead after three and a half innings before the Seawolves could muster two runs thanks to Cameron Kirtlan's first-career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.  However, Hawaii Hilo tacked on another run in the fifth and three more in the seventh to secure the win.