Friday, May 9
Fullerton, Calif
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
26-24
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Hawai'i
33-19
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7
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Hawai'i
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CSUN
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5
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Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Defeats Hawai'i, 4-3, in Semi-Finals of Big West Championship
5/9/2025 6:04:00 PM | Softball
FULLERTON, Calif -- CSUN Softball has earned a berth in the inaugural Big West Softball Championship. The Matadors defeated the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine, 4-3 Friday afternoon at Anderson Family Field. Jerzie Liana and Kylie Galindo led the way with an RBI each. Lauryn Carranco got the win and Isabella Alonso got the save.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Hawai'i got the scoring started in the first inning. A home run off the bat of former Matador Carys Murakami put the Rainbow Wahine on the board. The score was 1-0 going into the bottom of the first.
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Flash forward to the bottom of the second when CSUN struck back. After Liana led off the inning with a triple past a diving right-fielder, Galindo had a base hit to right field and Liana crossed home plate to tie the game at 1-1.Â
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The Matadors weren't done in the second. Two errors costed the Rainbow Wahine. First, Kaylee Escutia reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing Galindo to end up at third. The next batter was Raegan Jackson. Jackson hit a long fly ball just short of the center field fence, but Hawai'i's Chloe Borges dropped the ball, allowing both runners to score and giving CSUN a 3-1 lead.
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Meanwhile, Carranco was dealing in the circle for CSUN. Through five innings, the junior from Clovis had only allowed one hit on that home run. She struck out four on 59 pitches, retiring 14 straight Rainbow Wahine batters.
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In the bottom of the fifth, Mikayla Carman led off the inning with a single on the first pitch she saw. On the very next pitch, Jadyn Nielsen singled to right field as Carman advanced to third. Liana then brought Carman home with a sacrifice fly to center field for a 4-1 lead through five.Â
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In the next half inning, UH got one back. A solo shot from Chloe Borges cut the lead to two as CSUN still led 4-2.
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UH didn't give up without a fight. In the top of the seventh, Jamie McGaughey hit a home run over the left field wall to cut the CSUN lead in half.  After a Liliana Thomas single, Alonso relieved Carranco in the circle. Alonso would retire the next batter on a popout, but Thomas moved to second on a throwing error.  The next batter lined out to second base and the runner was doubled off to end the game to clinch the win for the Matadors.
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NEWS AND NOTES
"This is what championship softball is all about. Just environment wise, it was a great turnout. Hawai'i is a great team; their energy gets us going. It takes all of us and that's what you saw today. We have worked really hard in practice and in the offseason about everybody's mental toughness. We take one pitch at a time, and we play our game. I am super proud of their fight and their determination. This team has been in charge of their destiny since day one. Proud of the way they finished the win today."
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UP NEXT
CSUN will look to win the inaugural Big West Softball Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Matadors' opponent is to-be-determined.Â
#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Hawai'i got the scoring started in the first inning. A home run off the bat of former Matador Carys Murakami put the Rainbow Wahine on the board. The score was 1-0 going into the bottom of the first.
Â
Flash forward to the bottom of the second when CSUN struck back. After Liana led off the inning with a triple past a diving right-fielder, Galindo had a base hit to right field and Liana crossed home plate to tie the game at 1-1.Â
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The Matadors weren't done in the second. Two errors costed the Rainbow Wahine. First, Kaylee Escutia reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing Galindo to end up at third. The next batter was Raegan Jackson. Jackson hit a long fly ball just short of the center field fence, but Hawai'i's Chloe Borges dropped the ball, allowing both runners to score and giving CSUN a 3-1 lead.
Â
Meanwhile, Carranco was dealing in the circle for CSUN. Through five innings, the junior from Clovis had only allowed one hit on that home run. She struck out four on 59 pitches, retiring 14 straight Rainbow Wahine batters.
Â
In the bottom of the fifth, Mikayla Carman led off the inning with a single on the first pitch she saw. On the very next pitch, Jadyn Nielsen singled to right field as Carman advanced to third. Liana then brought Carman home with a sacrifice fly to center field for a 4-1 lead through five.Â
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In the next half inning, UH got one back. A solo shot from Chloe Borges cut the lead to two as CSUN still led 4-2.
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UH didn't give up without a fight. In the top of the seventh, Jamie McGaughey hit a home run over the left field wall to cut the CSUN lead in half.  After a Liliana Thomas single, Alonso relieved Carranco in the circle. Alonso would retire the next batter on a popout, but Thomas moved to second on a throwing error.  The next batter lined out to second base and the runner was doubled off to end the game to clinch the win for the Matadors.
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NEWS AND NOTES
- CSUN is now 26-24 on the season and have won two in a row.
- Carranco's record now improves to 16-11.
- Five different Matadors had hits in the ball game.
- Alonso recorded her third save of the year.
- Liana is second on the team in RBIs with 28.
- Galindo now has 15 RBI's on the season.
- Nielsen has now hit in three straight games.
- Liana is tied with Nielsen for most triples on the year with three.
"This is what championship softball is all about. Just environment wise, it was a great turnout. Hawai'i is a great team; their energy gets us going. It takes all of us and that's what you saw today. We have worked really hard in practice and in the offseason about everybody's mental toughness. We take one pitch at a time, and we play our game. I am super proud of their fight and their determination. This team has been in charge of their destiny since day one. Proud of the way they finished the win today."
Â
UP NEXT
CSUN will look to win the inaugural Big West Softball Championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Matadors' opponent is to-be-determined.Â
#GoMatadors
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Carranco, Lauryn (16-11)
L: Brandl, Macy (17-8)
S: Alonso, Isabella (3)
Batting:
HR: Murakami, Carys 1 ; McGaughey, Jamie 1 ; Borges, Chloe 1
RBI: Murakami, Carys 1 ; McGaughey, Jamie 1 ; Borges, Chloe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murakami, Carys 1 ; McGaughey, Jamie 1 ; Borges, Chloe 1
Batting:
3B: Liana, Jerzie 1
RBI: Liana, Jerzie 1 ; Galindo, Kylie 1
SH: Vargas Sandoval, Gizella 1
SF: Liana, Jerzie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Carman, Mikayla 1 ; Liana, Jerzie 1 ; Galindo, Kylie 1 ; Escutia, Kaylee 1
SB: Carman, Mikayla 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballP/SS
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
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