STILL ALIVE
Westcliff Wins Twice, Moves on in CAC Tournament
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
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4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | X | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 6 | 1 |
By Brandon Petersen
Westcliff wasn't going home Thursday.
Not yet.
Facing elimination, the Warriors responded with a pair of wins, first holding off Carolina University 8-4 before returning with a dominant 8-0 run-rule victory over Alice Lloyd to remain alive in the Continental Athletic Conference Tournament at the Grizzly Softball Complex.
It was a day that demanded resilience.
Westcliff delivered it.
In the opener, the Warriors found themselves in a battle early, trading runs with Carolina before creating separation in the middle innings. After the game tightened at 5-4, Westcliff answered with back-to-back three-run frames in the third and fourth to take control.
Madison Mendez led the offense with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, while Sara Ellerton drove in two runs and Jasmyn Lara added an RBI double as part of a balanced attack.
In the circle, the turning point came after a shaky start.
Nadia Carillo entered in relief and shut the door, tossing four scoreless innings to secure the win and stabilize the Warriors in an elimination game.
With their tournament lives still on the line, Westcliff returned for Game 2 — and removed any doubt.
Behind a complete-game shutout from Mendez, the Warriors overwhelmed Alice Lloyd, a 35-win team entering the matchup, from the opening inning.
Westcliff scored four runs in the first and never looked back, adding four more in the fourth to trigger the run rule.
Mendez was dominant in the circle, allowing just two hits over five scoreless innings, while also contributing two hits at the plate to cap a standout day.
Alyssa Patlan led the offense with two doubles and two RBIs, while Rachel Varela added a two-run double in the first to help set the tone early.
After grinding through a tight first game, the Warriors responded with their most complete performance of the tournament, combining timely hitting with dominant pitching to close out the day.
With the two wins, Westcliff advances in the elimination bracket and will continue its push through the CAC Tournament.
For a team that faced elimination to start the day, the message was clear:
They're not done yet.