The CSUDH women’s softball team advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional Championship for the second consecutive year, defeating Chico State 4-1 in a dramatic, extra-innings final of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) tournament. It was the Toros’ first time winning the conference tournament and earned the team an automatic berth in the regionals.
Junior infielder Nayah Pola slammed a 3-run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to secure the victory for the Toros. Her first home run of the season couldn’t have come at a more important time.
The Toros forced the decisive one-game final by beating Chico State 8-5 in an earlier game on Saturday. The loss was Chico State’s first of the tournament. Because the CCAA tournament is double-elimination, the teams returned later in the day for a winner-take-all matchup.
Pola was named to the CCAA All-Tournament Team, along with fellow Toros Alani Nguyen, Kaylee Hull, and Raquel Jaime. Pitcher Alyssa Olague was voted the CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player for her stellar work throughout the event, starting all but one of the Toros’ games and capping it off with a 10-inning, one-run performance in the final victory.
The Toros enter the West Regional as the #2 seed, and will start play in the double-elimination tournament against #7 Azusa Pacific at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 11. The regional is being hosted by Sonoma State University, with games to be played at the on-campus Seawolf Softball Field in Rohnert Park, Calif.
