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WU Advances to CAC Title Game
Posted: May 02, 2025

WU Advances to CAC Title Game

Riding the right arm of Madison Mendez, Westcliff bounced back from Thursday's 7-2 loss to top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett to pick up two wins today and advance into Saturday's rematch with GGU in the Continental Athletic Conference Softball Championship title game in Lawrenceville, Ga.  Mendez blanked California Pacific Conference rival #2 Simpson 3-0 in the morning game and then came back to silence #3 Florida National 4-1 to put the Warriors, the #4 seed in the tournament, in position to qualify for the NAIA Softball National Championship, which begins with Opening Round games at regional sites beginning on Monday, May 12.

Box Score

Mendez was masterful in both games, and she seemingly got better as the day wore on—until she had to work out of a 7th inning jam in the second game. With two outs in the final inning, FNU loaded the bases with two infield hits and a hit batter, but Mendez got the next batter to ground out and end the game.  She threw 93 pitches against SU, and needed 106 to beat the Conquistadors, but in 14 innings of work in the circle, she gave up only 13 hits, walked four and struck out seven. 

WU (23-21) put up what proved to be enough runs in its first at bat of the FNU game.  Alyssa Patlan got a one-out infield single and the next batter, Sara Ellerton, deposited a home run over the center field fence to put the Warriors up 2-0. 

FNU (23-27) cut the lead in half with a run in the 2nd, but WU again posted a pair of runs, this time in the 4th on an RBI-single off the bats of Lauren Coppla and on a ground out by Patlan.

Siana San Vicente went 3-for-4 to lead the Warriors' 11-hit attack.  Patlan and Coppla each contributed a pair of hits in the victory.

WESTCLIFF 3, SIMPSON 0 | Box Score

The Warriors eliminated the Red Hawks in the first game of the day.  SU won the Cal Pac regular season title and earned the #2 seed in the CAC tournament, but it was #4 WU that extended its postseason run when the two teams met about 2,200 miies from home and the season on the line.  The Warriors got an outstanding pitching performance from Mendez, who outdueled Cal Pac Pitcher of the Year Jacquelyn Lujan to earn a 3-0 win and put her team in the day's second elimination game.  Mendez started her day with an eight-hit shutout in which she walked only one and fanned five.

The Warriors scored twice in the 3rd, the first run coming on Bailey Wallace's bases-loaded walk, which was followed by an RBI-single off the bat of Ellerton.  WU added an insurance run in the 6th on a single by Iyari Ramirez.

Patlan and Ellerton both went 3-for-3 at the plate, and Airilin Ramirez contributed two hits.  Brianna Lopez-Cortez went 3-for-3 for the Red Hawks, who close out their season 24-21

CAC Softball Championship Central

 

2025 CONTINENTAL ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Hosted by Georgia Gwinnett | Lawrenceville, Ga.

(All times PT)

Thursday, May 1

Game 1:  #1 Georgia Gwinnett 7, #4 Westcliff 2

Game 2:  #3 Florida National 10, #2 Simpson 5

 

Friday, May 2

Game 3:  Georgia Gwinnett 2, Florida National 0

Game 4:  Westcliff 3, Simpson 0

Game 5:  Westcliff 4, Florida National 1

 

Saturday, May 3

9:00 am – Game 6:  Georgia Gwinnett vs. Westcliff

11:30 am – Game 7 (if necessary)