Thursday, May 12, 2022

SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Sophomore Sidney Booth threw a three-hit shutout and No. 8 seed Northwest Nazarene opened NCAA Division II Softball West Regional by putting the top seed on the ropes Thursday, beating No. 1 seed Cal State San Marcos 4-0 at the CSUSM Softball Field.

Booth, the GNAC Pitcher of the Year and consensus Second Team All-West Region selection, needed just 89 pitches to shut down the Cougars. She walked just one batter and struck out nine to improve to 18-11 on the season.

Junior Maia McNicoll provided most of the offense to back Booth as she went 2 for 4 with three RBI.

With the win, the Nighthawks (35-19) will advance to play the winner of this afternoon’s game between No. 4 seed Sonoma State and No. 5 seed Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday at 10 a.m. Cal State San Marcos (40-12) will play the loser of that contest in an elimination game on Friday at 12:30 p.m.

The Cougars allowed single base runners in the first on a walk and in the second on a hit batter. Sophomore Emma Mulligan singled to lead off the third, advanced to second on a passed ball and then scored when McNicoll poked a two-out double down the left-field line.

Cal State San Marcos hurler Jayline Sloss retired the side in order in the fourth before giving up three runs in the fifth. Mulligan drew a one-out walk and then scored on a two-base error on senior Ivy Hommel’s fielder’s choice. Booth followed by drawing a walk and pinch-runner Siolo Church and Hommel scored on McNicoll’s single, once again down the left-field line.

Booth, meanwhile, did not allow a base runner until the third inning and then only allowed single base runners in the fourth, sixth and seventh and never allowed a runner past second base.

Sloss dropped to 14-3 with the loss, allowing the four runs, three earned, on four hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Nikki Andelin, Gianna Lombardi and Delaney Prater had the three hits for the Cougars.