SSU softball routed in NCAA Tournament opener

Sonoma State’s softball squad, the No. 3 seed and host for the NCAA Division II West Regional postseason tournament, kicked off play Thursday against No. 6 Cal State San Marcos — and it did not go well for the home team.

The Seawolves fell behind early, losing 13-1 in five innings to fall into the tournament’s consolation bracket.

The catalyst for the visiting Cougars was a 10-run top of the first inning. Charlie Johnson got the start in the circle for Sonoma State, and she struggled to find the strike zone early on.

Nichole Sarra entered the game after San Marcos had already scored three runs, and she didn’t fare much better.

Sarra walked two batters and hit another two as the Cougars tacked on four more runs. Seawolves head coach Jennifer Bridges went back to Johnson, and the freshman allowed three more runs before she induced an inning-ending groundout.

San Marcos would get another run in the second inning, when Ryann Steiner scored on a close play at the plate.

The lone run for the Seawolves came in the bottom of the third inning, when Rylee Nishimoto singled into right field to score Sierra Moffett. That would be one of only four hits on the day for Sonoma State.

The Seawolves will now play an elimination game at 1 p.m. Friday against Azusa Pacific, which lost 1-0 to Cal State Dominguez Hills in Thursday’s other opener.

You can check out full brackets here.

You can reach Staff Writer Kienan O’Doherty at 415-887-8650 or kienan.odoherty@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kodoherty22.