COUGARS RAINED OUT IN THREE, WIN TWO IN HAWAII

MICHAEL RAWSON
SPORTS EDITOR

The Cal State San Marcos softball team had plans to fly to Hawaii, play a lot of softball and enjoy the island a bit, but as it turned out, the opposite happened.

Coach Dave Williams’s #8-ranked squad had been scheduled to play three doubleheaders, but left Hawaii with only three games in their pocket instead. On Wednesday, the sky remained relatively clear over Hawaii Pacific University, last year’s NCAA Division II champion. The Cougars earned an impressive split in the doubleheader, losing the first game 1-0 and winning the second contest 4-3. CSUSM staff ace Brenna Sandberg pitched brilliantly in both, earning the win in the nightcap. The Cougars found themselves down 3-1 through the 4th inning, but rallied back with one in the 5th and two in the 6th to come away with the victory.

The Friday skies would not prove to be as kind, dumping the tropical rain that often envelops the Hawaiian Islands in wintertime. The Cougars and BYU Hawaii waited for the downpour to cease, but it never did. Their doubleheader was rescheduled to Saturday, when CSUSM would be forced to try to fit in a quadruple-header. (Two games against BYU Hawaii before taking on Chaminade for two more.) Once again, though, the clouds would have none of it. The rain allowed for only one game against Chaminade. The Cougars prevailed, 1-0, again getting a brilliant performance from Sandberg, who allowed one hit and struck out eight. Theresa Houle’s two-out RBI single in the fourth inning would prove to be all the Cougars needed.

CSUSM softball returns with a 7-2 record on the year. They will face Redlands on Feb. 19.