FULLERTON, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Softball team won its seventh and eighth straight elimination games in The Big West Championships, dating back to the 2025 season to keep its season alive. With the two victories over Long Beach State and Hawai'i, the Gauchos will now play for their second straight Big West Championship.
GAME ONE: GAUCHOS 13, BEACH 10
After the Beach tagged the Gauchos for two runs to begin the game in the top of the first, UC Santa Barbara made a strong start of their own.
Dani Rauscher hit a single, followed by
Tehya Banks' double that brought Rauscher home.
Ella Myers then contributed with a two-run homer, scoring Banks. Additional scoring plays included singles by
Bella Fuentes and
Ainsley Waddell, each driving in runs, resulting in a seven-run inning.
In the second inning,
Giselle Mejia scored an unearned run on a throwing error after reaching third base, increasing the lead by one more run. The Beach added a run of their own and after two innings, the Gauchos led 8-3.
The Beach cut the Gaucho lead to two after a three-run home run in the third. Long Beach State also added a run in the top of the fourth to pull within one. The fourth inning saw UC Santa Barbara add three after Mejia and
Delaina Ma'ae both reached base, and
Ainsley Waddell hit a three-run homer, bringing the score to 11-7 in favor of the Blue and Gold.
In the sixth inning, Fuentes doubled, bringing Mejia home, followed by Ma'ae's single that drove in Fuentes, adding two more runs to the scoreboard, extending the Gaucho lead to 13-8.
The Beach did not go away easily in the seventh, plating two runs and bringing the tying run to the plate. The Gaucho defense held strong, though, and won the game 13-10 to advance in The Big West Championships.
GAME TWO: GAUCHOS 8, RAINBOW WAHINE 6
The Gauchos wasted no time getting started.
Giselle Mejia drove in
Tehya Banks on an RBI double and would later score on an
Emily Carr single to give UC Santa Barbara an early 2-0 lead. Hawai'i answered quickly with three runs in the second inning, but the Gauchos reclaimed the lead in the third.
Tehya Banks continued to fire up the Gaucho offense at the top of the lineup, totaling two hits and scoring three runs.
Emily Carr drove in Banks with an RBI single before
Bella Fuentes hit a three-run home run to extend the lead to 6-3 in the third inning.
Sophia Clark threw crucial innings in relief earlier in the day, allowing just two earned runs across four innings. The freshmen started the game against Hawai'i and gave the Gauchos two solid innings of work.
Malaya Johnson earned the victory in relief, tossing the final five innings and striking out six batters. Throughout Friday's doubleheader, Johnson combined for eight innings pitched and eight strikeouts to help lead the Gauchos through the day.
Hawai'i continued to apply pressure until the final inning, adding two more runs in the seventh to be down only two runs. Despite the late rally from Hawai'i, the Gauchos closed out the game to punch their ticket to the championship Saturday with an 8-6 win.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara advances to the Big West Championship Finals tomorrow against Cal State Fullerton. Because the Titans remain undefeated in the tournament while the Gauchos carry one loss, UC Santa Barbara must defeat Cal State Fullerton twice to claim the tournament championship and secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. The first Championship game will begin at 1 p.m.
