California State University at Northridge
16-11, 0-4
Hawai'i
9-16, 2-2
CSUN Drops Series Opener Against Hawai’i
3/23/2024 12:24:00 AM | Softball
HONOLULU, O'ahu—CSUN fell to Hawai'i 11-2 in five innings at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium on Friday evening. Shaylan Whatman and Lulu Sanchez each hit a home run.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors started strong as they opened the game with two home runs right after each other. Whatman sent the first flying into left center. Sanchez followed by blasting the ball into center field for a 2-0 lead. The Wahine were quick to respond as Haley Johnson hit a single into left field to bring in one RBI. CSUN starter Isabella Alonso tried to keep control, but Hawai'i kept the momentum going as the Wahine scored on a walk and two singles to take the lead in the bottom of the first at 5-2.
Lauryn Carranco stepped into the circle next, but the Wahine broke through CSUN's defense as they got another run off a single. Carranco kept her cool as she managed to foul out the next two batters. The Matadors tried to even the score in the top of the third but were unable to land any hits. Hawai'i continued to pull ahead as it scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the fourth, the Matadors found an opening as Kaylee Escutia and Moani Ioane reached base, but neither were able to score. The Wahine continued to crack the game open as Maya Nakamura hit a home run to carry Hawai'i's lead to 9-2.
Alexa Ortiz stepped into the circle next to close the bottom of the fourth inning. The Wahine didn't fold as another home run grew their lead to 11-2. The Matadors returned with a fight as Carys Murakami opened the top of the fifth with a single to get to first base. Mikayla Carman would follow with a walk, but the Wahine kept the Matadors off the scoreboard and took the game.
NOTES OF THE GAME
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CSUN's overall record is 16-11 and its conference record is 0-4. Hawai'i rises to 9-16 overall and 2-2 in the Big West.
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Isabella Alonso pitched for 0.1 innings. She allowed four hits and five runs.
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Lauryn Carranco pitched for 3.0 innings in relief and allowed four hits on five runs.
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Alexa Ortiz pitched for 0.2 innings and allowed two hits with one run allowed.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE MORGAN
"Tomorrow's a new day. We keep talking about it, it's not easy, the game is testing us. The game is not going to be easy, so at the end of the day we all got to start looking at ourselves and figure out how we can keep getting better because obviously it is not good enough."
UP NEXT
The Matadors finish the series with a double header against Hawai'i beginning at 5 p.m. PT. A link to live stats is on the gomatadors.com website.
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kostrencich, Addison (5-5)
L: Alonso, Isabella (7-5)
Batting:
HR: Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Sanchez, Lulu 1
RBI: Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Sanchez, Lulu 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Whatman, Shaylan 1 ; Sanchez, Lulu 1
Batting:
HR: Nakamura, Maya 1 ; Bethea, Mya'Liah 1
RBI: Johnson, Haley 1 ; Nakamura, Maya 2 ; Millwood, Dallas 2 ; Borges, Chloe 2 ; Bethea, Mya'Liah 3
SH: Gin, Xiao 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Keliinoi, Ka'ena 2 ; Martinez, Izabella 1 ; Johnson, Haley 1 ; Neri, Piper 1 ; Nakamura, Maya 2 ; Millwood, Dallas 1 ; Borges, Chloe 1 ; Bethea, Mya'Liah 1 ; Gibbs, Maycen 1
HBP: Johnson, Haley 1 ; Gibbs, Maycen 1
