SAN FRANCISCO — It came down to the final game of the season but the San Francisco State softball team was denied a trip to the CCAA Tournament after splitting with second-place Cal State San Bernardino. The Gators won the first game on Saturday, 4-1, but lost the regular season finale, 3-2.
- SF State finishes the regular season at 27-23 and 15-19 in CCAA play. The Coyotes move to 31-18 overall and 23-12 in CCAA play. The Gators needed to win both to keep pace with Chico State, who won both games on Saturday, and saw their hopes for a berth in the CCAA Tournament spoiled.
- The Gators' 27 wins stand alone as the eighth most in program history.
- SF State drops to 14-8 in one-run games this season.
- Kai DeLeon had a hit in each game and has reached base safely in her last 11 games. She also has a six-game hitting streak and leads the team with a .341 batting average.
- Pitcher Brooklyn Heffernan went the distance in game one for the pitching staff's 34th complete game of the season. Heffernan had eight strikeouts on the day, bringing her season total to 110, fourth most in the CCAA. She did not allow a run on the day and lowered her ERA to 2.74.
- The Gators outhit the Coyotes in both games, 10-3 in game one and 8-7 in game two.
- SF State has 166 sacrifices on the season, one short of a program season-high.
- Senior Teya Vincent was honored in a pregame ceremony for her contributions to the program.
Game 1
- The Gators got all the offense they needed in the fourth inning. After Vincent bunted Daniella Guerrera into scoring position, Liana Gonzalez belted an RBI double down the left field line for an early Gators lead.
- Mia Misasi traded spots with Gonzalez with a back-to-back double, with Misasi's landing in left center.
- With two outs, pinch hitter Jade Johnson delivered an RBI single back up the middle that drove home Misasi.
- In the fifth, DeLeon began the inning by legging out a bunt single. She scored on Vincent's two-out single down the left field line.
- The Gators were denied the shutout in the sixth when a throwing error that would've ended the inning instead allowed a run to score.
- Heffernan (12-11) did not allow a run in a complete-game effort. She scattered three hits and walked three with seven strikeouts.
- All four runs off of Samantha Vargas (19-10) were earned. She gave up 10 hits, walked one, and struck out two.
Game 2
- The first three Coyotes tallied hits for a quick 1-0 lead, with Tereise Tosi singling in a run.
- CSUSB put the pressure on in the third inning. Leadoff batter Hayden Greene doubled and Alexis Aguado followed with a triple that doubled the lead. Tosi reached safely on a fielder's choice when DeLeon went home but Aguado beat the tag at home for a 3-0 Coyotes lead.
- After two quick outs in the sixth, the Gators rallied. Vincent drew a four-pitch walk, Gonzalez singled and both she and Vincent moved into scoring position on the sequence, then Misasi rattled a double off the wall in left to cut the lead to 3-2.
- The Gators came up short in the seventh. Hailey Weddington's second hit of the day landed in left center but she was thrown out trying to stretch her hit into a double. Kira Nilson and DeLeon both followed with singles and Guerrera drew a two-out walk that loaded the bases. That set things up for Vincent but the senior flew out to left field on an 0-2 count.
- Kaitlyn Maddux (13-9) surrendered three runs on seven hits in three innings. She didn't walk one and had one strikeout.
- Heffernan came back into the circle for four innings of relief and did not allow a hit. She walked two and had a strikeout.
- Natalie Carlos (10-2) scattered eight hits and gave up a pair of runs. She walked three and struck out one.
The Gators, who entered the week ranked No. 7 in the NCAA Division II West Region poll, will have to wait and see if their regular season record is enough to earn a spot in the eight-team regional.
