UC Santa Barbara women’s softball closed out the regular season on a bittersweet note, dominating California State University, Fullerton in the opener of a Friday doubleheader before dropping the next two games. The Gauchos did, however, earn the No. 3 seed in the Big West Championship.
Friday, May 1
Game 1: Gauchos 8, Titans 0
The Gauchos wasted no time in Game 1, putting up eight runs and shutting out Fullerton entirely to close it out in five innings.
Senior pitcher Malaya Johnson went the full five innings, giving up seven hits and recording one strikeout while needing just 64 pitches to get through the Titans.
The big swing came in the third inning. Sophomore outfielder Giselle Mejia got things started with a single, and a Titan fielding error allowed runners to advance. Senior third baseman Bella Fuentes followed with a two-run single, and senior second baseman Jazzy Santos hit a three-run homer to left field to push the lead to 5-0.
UCSB added three more in the fifth on RBI singles from sophomore catcher Delaina Ma’ae and freshman utility player Jaelyn Toledo, with Mejia capping the scoring with a single up the middle to end it early.
The victory ended with UCSB winning 8-0 and bringing their winning streak against the Titans to six games.
Game 2: Gauchos 6, Titans 7
UCSB picked up right where they left off from Game 1, with junior infielder Tehya Banks launching a solo home run to left field. Ma’ae came through with a walk to bring in freshman pitcher/utility player Ella Myers and put the Gauchos up 2-0 at the end of the first inning.
The Titans flipped the script in the fourth, sending five runs across the plate and taking their first lead of the game. Myers stepped up with a three-run triple to right, scoring Banks, freshman infielder Dani Rauscher and Toledo to even things up.
Freshman pitcher Sophia Clark held Fullerton hitless through three innings before being relieved by Myers. Myers shut the Titans down in the fifth, but Fullerton added two more in the sixth, reclaiming their spot in front.
Fuentes walked with the bases loaded, scoring Rauscher, but the Gauchos headed to the seventh inning down 7-6.
Johnson kept the Titans down in the seventh, and though Ma’ae doubled to open the inning, UCSB couldn’t score, losing 6-7.
Saturday, May 2
Game 3: Gauchos 1, Titans 3
In Saturday’s rubber match, the Titans struck first with a home run in the second inning. Junior utility player Emily Carr answered with a solo shot to the right center to level the score at 1-1.
The score stayed level until the fifth, when Titan Ava Arce doubled to left-center to score two runs and give Fullerton a 3-1 lead.
Softball seniors pose during their last regular season game. Courtesy of UCSB Athletics.
The Gauchos had a chance in the seventh with Mejia doubling to lead off, but couldn’t bring it home, concluding with a 3-1 Titan victory.
