Wurst, Hyland and Tyler Shine as Cal Poly Softball Sweeps Hawai'i

Saturday, April 19

Manoa, HI

5 pm

24-16, 6-5

Hawai'i

19-21, 4-7

Cal Poly

Hawai'i

Wurst, Hyland and Tyler Shine as Cal Poly Softball Sweeps Hawai'i

4/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Junior lefthander Chloe Wurst (right) struck out a career-high eight hitters as the Cal Poly softball program finalized a Saturday afternoon doubleheader whitewash of Hawai'i and the program's first three-game sweep of the Rainbow Wahine with a 4-1 triumph.

Earlier Saturday at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, freshman right fielder Courtney Tyler swatted her first career home run and freshman righthander Sierra Hyland went back-to-back with her team-leading fifth homer as Cal Poly – through senior left fielder Emily Ceccacci's game-winning single in the top of the eighth – opened the doubleheader with a 7-6, extra-inning triumph.

During Saturday's opening 7-6 win at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium, Cal Poly (25-16, 7-5) utilized a two-out, run-scoring base hit in the top of the seventh from senior right fielder Cami Brown to go up 4-3 before Hyland and senior catcher Mariah Cochiolo produced run-scoring doubles to provide the Mustangs a 6-3 advantage.

Hawai'i (19-22, 4-8), however, received leadoff singles from starting righthander Heather Morales (9-8) and third baseman Kristina Akiona in the bottom half of the seventh. After Hyland (21-7) – who struck out seven against one walk – forced second baseman Jazmine Zamora to foul out, Rainbow Wahine catcher Kayla Wartner popped a three-run homer over the right center field fence to tie the game.

Undeterred, Cal Poly struck back for the winning margin in the top half of the eighth. With one down, senior third baseman Jillian Andersen produced her third single of the day before senior shortstop Kim Westlund followed with her second. Ceccacci then singled up the middle to score Andersen from second for the 7-6 lead.

Hyland, who won for the fourth time in her past five starts, retired Hawai'i in order in the bottom of the eighth.

Hyland, who passed the 200-inning threshold in victory, became the first and only Mustang since two-time All-American Desarie Knipfer in 1997 to post a 200-strikeout, 200-inning, 20-win season. Hyland currently ranks second in single season program history with 21 victories and third with 221 strikeouts and 202 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Trailing 2-0 during Saturday's opener and held to one hit through the first three innings, Cal Poly grabbed the lead for certain in the fourth. After Ceccacci singled with one down, Tyler belted her homer over the left field fence to deadlock the game. Two pitches later, Hyland became Cal Poly's homer co-leader by rocketing her fifth of 2014 to center field.

During Saturday's second contest, Cal Poly led from the onset with Hyland and Cochiolo leading off the top half of the second with successive hits before a sacrifice bunt from senior designated player Shea Williams moved both Mustang baserunners into score position. Two hitters later, Andersen unfurled a two-run single to place Cal Poly in the ascendancy.

The Mustangs furthered their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fifth with senior second baseman Ashley Romano – after a leadoff double – moving to third through an Andersen sacrifice and scoring through a groundout by senior center fielder Lauren Moreno.

Wurst, meanwhile, faced just two Rainbow Wahine batters over the minimum and failed to allow a hit until shortstop Sarina Jaramillo singled with one out in the fifth.

Wurst faced just one assault on her shutout and not until the bottom of the sixth as Wartner and right fielder Keiki Carlos strung together successive one-out hits. First baseman Leisha Li'ili'I followed with another hit, but Brown threw out Wartner at home with a one-skip throw. Wurst then forced a fly out Morales to end the inning.

Cal Poly finalized the scoring in the top of the seventh as Westlund drove home Romano with a two-out single.

Cal Poly next returns home to host Bakersfield for a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Tuesday, April 22.