SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team dropped the opening game of the 2025 NCAA West Super Regional 9-1 Thursday afternoon at Cal State San Marcos.

 

WWU had its 16-game winning streak snapped and dealt its first loss in seven postseason games to fall behind 1-0 in the best-of-three Super Regional hosted by CSUSM. The No. 4 seed Vikings are making their second consecutive appearance in the Super Regional round, while the No. 3 Cougars are in their third super regional in the last four years.

 

The Vikings (43-11) entered the game having won 22 of the last 23 games, but allowed a season-high 14 hits and nine runs in the 6-inning game shortened by the mercy rule. WWU enters Friday's second day of the Super Regional needing a pair of wins to advance to the NCAA II Softball World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

"Cal State San Marcos is a great team and they clearly came out prepared today and ready to go and they were better than us in all three phases of the game," said WWU head coach Sheryl Gilmore in the postgame news conference. "We are looking forward to the opportunity to come out tomorrow and fight back and get some wins."

 

The Cougars (43-21) jumped ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning with the first three batters of the game tabbing a hit, highlighted by a two-run double by third baseman Jillian Albayati.

 

WWU cut its deficit in half in the top of the 3rd inning on a run-scoring groundout by junior shortstop Hailey Rath.

 

The Cougars went extended their lead in the bottom of the 4th inning with three runs, added another in the 5th and ended the game with three in the 6th inning.

 

WWU was led by multi-hit games from sophomore third baseman Maleah Andrews and senior second baseman Kanilehua Pitoy, both going 2-for-3. Andrews, the D2CCA West Region Player of the Year, extended her on-base streak to 51 consecutive games and Pitoy became WWU's all-time hits leader with 209 career hits.

 

Sophomore starting pitcher Alli Kimball (16-4) was saddled with her first loss since the end of March allowing hits to the first three batters she faced. Senior Joie Baker entered in relief allowing three runs (2 ER) in 3.1 innings and sophomore Kaiana Kong allowed two hits in 1.0 inning of work. Freshman Gracie Huston closed out the game making her eighth appearance of the season.

 

CSUSM featured six players with a pair of hits, highlighted by a 2-for-3, 3 RBI performance by right fielder Mackenzie Kestler. Starting pitcher Jayline Sloss (19-9) earned the win limiting WWU to one run over 5.0 innings, recording five strikeouts.

 

 

Maleah Andrews recorded her 24th multi-hit game of the season and extended her school-record streak of reaching base safely to 51 consecutive games … Andrews hit her 20th double to extend her own school record (18 last season tied Cathy Johnson) and has 79 hits to break her mark of 74 hits set in 2024 … Kanilehua Pitoy went 2-for-3 to give her 209 career hits, breaking the school record of 208 set by Emily Benson (2015-17, 2019) … Thursday's loss snapped a 16-game winning streak overall and 6-game postseason winning streak (3-0 in GNAC Championships, 3-0 in West Regional) … the all-time series between WWU and Cal State San Marcos is now tied 3-3.

 

The Vikings (43-11) play again Friday with the second game of the best-of-three West Super Regional scheduled to start at 11 am. WWU needs a pair of wins Friday over Cal State San Marcos (43-21) to earn a trip to the NCAA II Softball World Series in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Links to watch all the action will be made available at wwuvikings.com/Live. The complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/Team33 with links to season statistics, photo galleries and program history.

 

Here is a look at the West Super Regional Schedule with the best-of-three series played at CSUSM Softball Field on the campus of Cal State San Marcos. The winner of the series advances to the D2 College Softball World Series held May 22-28 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee:

 

• Thursday, May 15 (Game 1): No. 3 Cal State San Marcos 9, No. 4 Western Washington 1
• Friday, May 16 (Game 2): No. 4 Western Washington at No. 3 Cal State San Marcos, 11 am
• Friday, May 16 (Game 3): No. 4 Western Washington at No. 3 Cal State San Marcos, 1:30 pm (if necessary)

 

 

Here are links on how to follow the 64-team field in the 2025 NCAA Division II Softball Championships:

 

• Super Regional Website
• Live Stats
• Webcast via FloCollege (FREE)
• Tickets
• NCAA Tournament Scoreboard
• NCAA Bracket
• Digital Gameday Program
• NCAA Softball

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:

 

 

WWU is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and second consecutive after the historic run to the NCAA II World Series in 2024. Entering the 2024 postseason with one NCAA Tournament victory, the Vikings went 10-5 during the run to the national championship series. Prior to moving to the NCAA level in 1999, WWU won the NAIA World Series in 1998 for the first team national championship in WWU Athletics history. Here is a look at the Vikings game-by-game listing in the NCAA Championships with the regional host site listed next to the year:

 

2003 (Bakersfield, CA):

Lost to UC Davis, 4-2

Lost to Humboldt State, 7-1

 

2007 (Turlock, CA):

Lost to Stanislaus State, 2-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 3-1

 

2011 (Chico, CA):

Lost to Chico State, 3-1

Lost to Central Washington, 8-4

 

2017 (Seaside, CA):

Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 5-3

Lost to Dixie State, 5-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 6-4

 

2021 (Irvine, CA):

Lost to Hawai'i Hilo, 3-0

Lost to Central Washington, 9-5

 

2024 (Bellingham, WA):

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 4-3

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 3-0

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 7-1

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 2-1

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 (Super Regional)

Lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 3-2 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-6 (West Region Champions) – 8 innings

Defeated Wilmington (DE), 2-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated Auburn Montgomery, 7-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 2-1 (9 inn.) (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 7-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 3-0 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

 

2025 (Hayward, CA):

Defeated Concordia Irvine, 8-0

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 2-1

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 6-2

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 9-1 (Super Regional)

 

WWU had its 16-game winning streak snapped in Thursday's loss at Cal State San Marcos, falling one game short of the school-record 17-game winning streak set last season. The 16-game streak marked the second double-digit winning streak this season. The Vikings set the club record twice last season with winning streaks of 13 games (in February) and 17 games (in March/April). Here is a look at the longest winning streaks in the 33 years of WWU Softball:

 

 

The WWU softball program is in its 33rd season in 2025 while coming off a historic 52-12 season in 2024. The Vikings won the 2025 GNAC regular-season title with a 21-3 league record and have won back-to-back GNAC Tournament titles in 2024 and 2025. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the sixth time in program history in 2024, playing on its home field in the NCAA postseason for the first time. WWU won its first West Regional title defeating Cal State San Marcos in the sub-regional and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the national championship series as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Longwood, Florida. WWU has posted a winning record 21 times during the 32-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title.