California State University at Northridge
40-12, 15-2
Hawai''i
28-22, 9-8
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Conley, Zoe (19-4)
L: Kanani Aina Cabrales (15-15)
Base Running:
SB: Rachel Lack 1
Batting:
2B: Hooper, Katie 1
HR: Glover, Taylor 1
RBI: Glover, Taylor 1 ; Hooper, Katie 1
SH: Wassmer, Ariana 1 ; Kliebenstein, Tara 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sherman, Carissa 1 ; Glover, Taylor 1
HBP: Kliebenstein, Tara 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
CSUN Splits with Hawai'i on Senior Day to Clinch Share of Big West Title
5/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The game one victory over the Rainbow Wahine gives CSUN at least a share of the Big West Conference title. Because the Matadors took two out of three games with Long Beach State earlier this year, if the teams were to tie in the final conference standings, CSUN earns the conference's automatic berth in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.Â
The Matadors need one more win or one more Long Beach State loss to win the conference title outright. The last time CSUN won the Big West title outright was in 1998.
"We are proud to be Big West Champions in 2015 and we are looking forward to testing our mettle in postseason play," CSUN head coach Tairia Flowers said. "Hawai'i is a good team and provided us with a challenge all weekend. We hit the ball well today, but couldn't find the timely hits. It's a good learning experience for us as we head into the postseason."Â
CSUN closes out the 2015 regular season with a three-game series at Cal State Fullerton next weekend. On Friday, May 8, the teams will play a single game at 5 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday, May 9 beginning at noon.Â
The NCAA Tournament selection will be on Sunday, May 10. More details about the show and CSUN's selection will be available at GoMatadors.com.Â
Game One Recap
CSUN freshman Zoe Conley returned to the circle for the first time in two weeks and was outstanding in a 2-0 shutout victory.Â
Conley posted her eighth shutout of the season and scattered just three hits and two walks over seven innings of work. She is now 19-4 with a 1.34 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 141 innings of work.Â
Offensively, Glover got CSUN started quickly with her sixth home run of the season in the first inning. The sophomore hit a fly ball to left that tailed away from the fielder, who then tripped in trying to field it. The ball rolled all the way to the fence and Glover came all the way around to score.Â
CSUN added an insurance run in the fifth inning. Glover scored on an RBI single from Katie Hooper, raising her season total to a league-best 54 RBIs on the season. Hooper went a perfect 3-for-3 with her 12th double of the season while Glover finished 2-for-3.Â
Game Two Recap
Although the Matadors collected 12 hits, CSUN left 11 runners on base and lost 2-1 in their home finale.Â
Hawai'i needed one hit, a two-run home run from freshman Rachel Lack, to secure the victory and clinch the series. The shot came off CSUN starter Brianna Elder (17-5) and was the only hit she allowed in 3.1 innings of work. She finished with two strikeouts and three walks.Â
The Matadors had their chances but could not find the necessary hits with runners on base. CSUN loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth. Jordan Sauceda punched a single through the left side to score a run, but two Matadors were tagged out on the play at third base.Â
In the seventh, Savannah Horvath produced a one-out double, her 15th two-base hit of the season. However, she was then called out for interference on a single from Crystal Maas on the infield.Â
Conley tossed the final 3.2 innings for CSUN, allowing two hits to go with two strikeouts and a walk. Brittany Hitchcock earned her second win of the weekend with a complete game performance.