
CSUN Scored 19 Runs on 14 Hits to Sweep Hawai'i
3/25/2023 6:49:00 PM | Softball
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
Hear from Coach Morgan after today's sweep of Hawai'i. pic.twitter.com/NrGOKjjxst
— CSUN Softball (@CSUNSoftball) March 26, 2023
GAME 1
CSUN defeated Hawai'i 8-5 in the opening game.
Three straight UH hits with two outs combined with a CSUN error allowed the Rainbow Wahine to score two runs in the top of the first.
Carys Murakami and Mikayla Carman worked out back-to-back walks off Hawai'i starter Keyannah Campbell-Pu'a to begin the bottom of the first. Kaylee Escutia smacked her first home run of the season to give the Matadors a 3-2 lead. Kylie Galindo followed with an opposite field double to left that chased Campbell-Pu'a in favor of Mille Fidge. A one-out Shaylan Whatman single gave CSUN runners on the corners.
Whatman attempted to steal second, but shortstop Xiao Gin misplayed the throw down by UH catcher Izabella Martinez. Gin's error allowed Galindo to score. Whatman was caught up in a rundown. Martinez threw down to second to try and retire Whatman, but the throw ended up in left centerfield, allowing Whatman to score on the play.
Hawai'i took advantage of a one out CSUN error in the third to load the bases. Martinez hit a grounder to Whatman at third. She threw it to Galindo at home. Galindo completed the double play by throwing down to Gizella Vargas Sandoval at first to get the Matadors out of the inning.
Murakami and Carman opened the fourth with consecutive singles. Escutia reached on a fielder's choice to third to load the bases. Galindo popped out to center before Maiya Alemania walked on four pitches, scoring Murakami. A Whatman sacrifice fly plated Carman for a 7-2 score. Vargas Sandoval's single to center scored Escutia. McKenna Kostyszyn relieved Fidge. Kostyszyn walked Sydney Freijanes to load the bases for a second time. Pinch hitter Mia Cortez grounded out to end the inning.
Ka'ena Keliinoi homered with two outs in the top of the fifth. CSUN starter Alexis Martinez walked Maya Nakamura, which resulted in Allie Gardiner coming in relief. Her first batter was Haley Johnson, who flew out to two pitches into the count to end the inning.
Gardiner issued back-to-back walks to Mya'Liah Bethea and Rachel Sabourin with one out in the top of the sixth. Gardiner battled back to strike out Cira Bartolotti before walking the bases loaded as pinch-hitter Princess Matavao took a free pass on seven pitches. Gin doubled to the gap in right center to drive in two runs. Keliinoi nearly added more, but she flew out to Alemania at the warning track in center for the third out.
Nakamura walked to lead off the top of the seventh. Freijanes went to her backhand to nab a Johnson liner at short for the first out. Martinez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
Seven of the nine CSUN starters recorded a hit. Murakami, Carman, and Escutia each scored twice for the Matadors. Freijanes tallied two of the six CSUN walks. Nakamura was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. Martinez and Gardiner combined on a six-hitter.
GAME 2
A nine-run CSUN first inning powered CSUN to an 11-1 victory over Hawai'i in the nightcap.
Murakami walked to lead off the bottom of the first against Brianna Lopez (who won game one of the series on Friday). Carman's sac but was fielded by Sabourin at third. She committed a throwing error that allowed Murakami to reach third and Carman to reach second. Escutia quickly followed with a single up the middle to give the Matadors a 2-0 advantage.
Galindo's opposite field single to left center advanced Escutia to third. In the circle, Alemania's sac bunt attempt was misplayed by Lopez, allowing Escutia to score with Galindo moving to second. Whatman's sacrifice bunt was successful as each runner moved up a base. Vargas Sandoval singled to center to score Galindo. With CSUN leading 4-0, Maddie Padilla, a pinch-hitter, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kennedy Gustin hit a grounder to Nakamura, the second baseman. Nakamura tried to come home and overthrew the catcher, allowing a run to score.
The fourth UH error of the inning, committed by Gin at short on a Murakami grounder, resulted in all three runners on base coming home as she reached third. Carman's infield single scored Murakami to make it 9-0. Galindo's second hit of the inning, a single up that sent Carman to second. Alemania grounded out to wrap up the inning.
Escutia doubled to lead off the bottom of the fourth. She moved to third on a Galindo ground out. Alemania walked to give CSUN runners on the corners. Whatman doubled to right to drive in Escutia as Alemania advanced to third. Vargas Sandoval grounded out to the pitcher, Chloe Borges scoring Alemania. Freijanes grounder to second was the final out.
Piper Neri singled to lead off the fifth. Maycen Gibbs grounded out to first, allowing Neri to reach second. After a 13-pitch at-bat, Jadyn Nielsen was awarded a walk on a Lauryn Carranco illegal pitch. Riley Wickum came on in relief. Keliinoi walked to load the bases. Nakamura grounded out to Whatman at third as Neri scored. Finally, Nakamura grounded into a 6-4 fielder's choice to end the game after five innings.
Carranco and Wickum combined on a four-hitter. Carranco struck out three in 4.1 innings. Escutia was 2-of-3 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace CSUN. Galindo went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Murakami and Alemania also scored twice for the Matadors. Vargas-Sandoval charted two RBI.
CSUN last won a series against the Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu in 2018. The last time the Matadors won a series against Hawai'i at home was in 2017 when CSUN swept UH (20-12, 3-3 Big West). The victories moved CSUN to two away from 1,500 as a program (1498-973-12).
UP NEXT
CSUN (12-14, 4-2 Big West) hosts Long Beach State (14-14, 4-0 Big West) for three games beginning Friday at 1 p.m.
~#UniteTheValley~
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Martinez, Alexis (4-5)
L: Campbell-Pua, Key-an (8-4)
Batting:
2B: Gin, Xiao 1
HR: Keliinoi, Ka'ena 1
RBI: Gin, Xiao 2 ; Keliinoi, Ka'ena 1 ; Martinez, Izabella 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Keliinoi, Ka'ena 1 ; Nakamura, Maya 1 ; Johnson, Haley 1 ; Bethea, Mya'Liah 1 ; Sabourin, Rachel 1

Batting:
2B: Galindo, Kylie 1 ; Alemania, Maiya 1
HR: Escutia, Kaylee 1
RBI: Escutia, Kaylee 3 ; Alemania, Maiya 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Vargas Sandoval, Gizella 1
SF: Whatman, Shaylan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murakami, Carys 2 ; Carman, Mikayla 2 ; Escutia, Kaylee 2 ; Galindo, Kylie 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1
SB: Murakami, Carys 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Gustin , Kennedy 1
HBP: Carman, Mikayla 1 ; Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Vargas Sandoval, Gizella 1