Walkoff Win Helps Softball Split With Hawai’i On Friday

Friday, March 20

Long Beach, Calif.

4:30 p.m.

Long Beach State University

18-11

Hawai'i

11-14

Hawai'i

Long Beach State

3/20/2026 10:13:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Elissa Guerrero capped a seventh-inning comeback with a walkoff single in the opening game.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Long Beach State took a lead, lost it, and then rallied to win in the bottom of the seventh in a wild opening game against Hawai'i before losing the second over the first two games of a three-game series with the Rainbow Wahine.

The two teams engaged in an instant classic to begin the series. Hawai'i (12-14, 4-4 Big West) scored first, pushing around Carys Murakami after a fielding error allowed the first baserunner of the game.

Long Beach State (18-12, 6-2 Big West) quickly rallied. Avery Weisbrook singled in front of Priscilla Ramirez, and the sophomore hit her team-high fourth home run of the season to put the Beach in front with one swing. Iniguez then got the Beach rolling again in the third with a leadoff single. A walk and a hit batter loaded the bases, and a dropped sac fly scored a pair, and a second sacrifice fly increased the Long Beach State lead to 5-2.

Weisbrook tripled with one out in the fourth, and scored on an RBI single from Nina Sepulveda to push the Long Beach State lead to 6-1. The Rainbow Wahine answered with a big fifth inning however.

A walk and a single put two runners on, and an error trying to throw out the lead runner was the spark for a big inning, scoring the first of six runs. A bases-loaded walk added a second run, a sacrifice fly added a third, and finally a Millie Fidge three-run home run brought Hawai'i all the way in front, 7-6.

Down to their final inning, Long Beach State fought back once more in the bottom of the seventh. Brooklyn Lee opened the inning with a single, and the catcher came around to score on a triple from Audree Mendoza. Mendoza then scored on an RBI single from Elissa Guerrero, as the freshman delivered in a clutch pinch hit appearance to give the Beach a walkoff 8-7 win.

Hawai'i dominated the action in the second game. Taking a 1-0 lead after the second inning, back-to-back home runs opened up a 4-0 lead through three innings, and then a grand slam by Milan Ah Yat pushed the Rainbow Wahine in front of the run-rule mark. That was more than enough support for Taryn Irimata, who finished off a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit, a single from Sepulveda in the fourth inning.

Long Beach State will welcome back their alumni and celebrate the retirement of 19-year head coach Kim Sowder prior to the deciding game of the series on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., with the celebrations occurring prior to first pitch.