Malaya Johnson fired a two-hit shutout and Elicia Acosta and Jazzy Santos homered to lead the UC Santa Barbara softball team to an important 4-0 win at CSUN in a Big West regular season finale.
With the result, the Gauchos finish in a tie for second place with CSUN and Long Beach State at 17-0. Hawai’i can join in the deadlock if it sweeps a doubleheader against UC San Diego in Honolulu on Saturday night. Cal State Fullerton place first in the final standings.
The Gauchos (28-23 overall) secured a spot in the six-team Big West Tournament. Their seeding will be determined after the Hawai’i-UCSD results are in. The May 7-10 tournament at Cal State Fullerton will determine the conference’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.
Acosta gave Johnson a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run homer, her first home run of the season. She brought in Ainsley Waddell, who drew a walk.
The Gauchos made it 3-0 in the fourth on a RBI single by Erin Mendoza. Santos capped the scoring with a solo blast in the seventh. It was her first homer of the season.
Giselle Mejia led UCSB’s 10-hit attack with three hits. Bella Fuentes and Alexa Sam each had two hits.
Johnson had good control, walking just one batter in earning her 17th win of the season.