Softball celebrates after scoring a run. Courtesy of UCSB Athletics.
Game 1: Gauchos 10, Tritons 9
The tournament opened with one of the more intense games of the season as UCSB and No. 6 seed UC San Diego went back and forth through nine innings.
The Gauchos got on the board first in the opening inning when junior utility player Emily Carr grounded out, allowing freshman infielder Dani Rauscher to score for a 1-0 lead. The Tritons answered with three runs in the third to be up 3-1, before junior pitcher Ainsley Waddell evened things up to tie the game at 3-3 with a two-run shot to right field in the fourth inning.
The Tritons surged ahead with four runs in the fifth to go up 7-3. Senior third baseman Bella Fuentes hit a two-run homer to left field, and sophomore outfielder Giselle Mejia added an RBI walk to make it 5-7. Rauscher then tied the game at 7-7 on a fielder’s choice.
UCSD reclaimed the lead with a solo homer in the sixth, but sophomore catcher Delaina Ma’ae’s RBI double tied it again at 8-8.
After scoreless seventh and eighth innings, the Tritons got ahead in the ninth on another solo home run. Waddell responded with her second home run of the game to tie it once more. With bases loaded, freshman pitcher/utility player Ella Myers singled to bring home Mejia and seal the 10-9 walk-off win.
Game 2: Gauchos 0, Rainbow Wahine 2
UCSB’s momentum came to a halt against No. 2 seed University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, who scored single runs in the first and second innings, shutting out the Gauchos despite nine UCSB hits.
Rauscher had three of UCSB’s nine hits, with Carr and Mejia each chipping in two. The Gauchos put runners on base in five innings but couldn’t capitalize, falling 0-2.
Game 3: Gauchos 13, Beach 10
UCSB kept their season alive with a big offensive performance against California State University, Long Beach.
After the Beach scored two in the top of the first, the Gauchos put up seven runs in the bottom half to take the lead. Rauscher singled, junior infielder Tehya Banks doubled to bring her home and Myers followed with a two-run homer. Additional RBI singles from Fuentes and Waddell capped the inning.
Waddell put the game away with a three-run homer to lead 11-7. Fuentes and Ma’ae added two more in the sixth, and the Gauchos held on to win 13-10.
Game 4: Gauchos 8, Rainbow Wahine 6
In a rematch with Hawai’i, UCSB came out sharp. Mejia drove in Banks with an RBI double, and Carr followed with a single to give the Gauchos an early 2-0 lead. Fuentes then delivered an excellent three-run homer in the third to push the score to 6-3.
Freshman pitcher Sophia Clark started and gave UCSB two solid innings before senior pitcher Malaya Johnson took over. Johnson went the final five innings and struck out six, and the Gauchos closed out 8-6 and moved on to the championship game.
Championship Final: Gauchos 0, Titans 1
UCSB’s offense, which had been consistent through the tournament, stalled in the championship game.
The Gauchos managed just two hits all game, and the only run was scored in the third inning when a UCSB error with two outs allowed CSUF to score.
UCSB had their best chance in the third, loading bases with two outs before Myers hit a fly ball to left field to end the inning. Johnson was sharp in the circle, going all six innings and allowing just five hits and one unearned run, but it wasn’t enough.
The Gauchos got one last shot in the seventh when Ma’ae singled with two outs to extend the inning. Waddell, who hit three home runs in the tournament, stepped up in the final at-bat, but UCSB’s comeback bid fell short in a 0-1 loss.
Despite the loss, the Gauchos reached the championship game through the elimination bracket for the second straight year. 11 Gauchos earned All-Big West honors, with Dani Rauscher taking home Freshman Field Player of the Year and Sophia Clark earning Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
Even in defeat, the Gauchos’ run through the elimination bracket and second straight appearance in the championship game highlighted the continual rise of the program.
