IRVINE – It had been 700 days since the Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team took the field. The Toros' patience while the globe navigates through the COVID-19 pandemic has been rewarded with three games to open the 2022 season.
 
Playing a rare tripleheader for the first time since 2014, the Toros got the day started with a 2-1 win over Holy Names, a 2-8 defeat to Western Oregon midday and then followed a 4-3 walkoff against Hawai`i Pacific at dusk.
 
Game 1 – CSUDH 2, HNU 1
It came to no surprise that there were nerves and excitement within the Toros. The Hawks threatened to score in the first three innings. Starter Ashley Wies got out of the jam in the first inning and Alyssa Olague came in during the second to stop a bases-loaded threat.
 
All the offense was done in the third inning. Amara Labonog led off with a walk and scored all the way from first when Chenoa Au launched a triple to the left field fence. Au would slide her way into home on Kianna Abellera's sacrifice fly after, giving the Toros a 2-0 lead.
 
Olague would only limit the Hawks to just a double in the fifth inning. The right-hander had a bit of a struggle trying to close out the game. She surrendered a leadoff single and a one-out walk, but Holy Names got its first run across with a two-out RBI single by Hawk starting pitcher Haighley Kissee. With the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Olague got the next batter to ground out to Kaylee Hull at first.
 
Game 2 – WOU 8, CSUDH 2
After a sluggish game 1 start, Wies went back in the circle and improved. She struck out six in four innings but a leadoff home run by the tall catcher Natalie Willoughby.
 
After the Wolves got three more runs in the fourth inning, the Toros did get two of those runs back in the fifth. Au led off with a double and reached third when Kianna Abellera singled and advanced to second on the throw. Au scored when Maiya Lopez hit a base hit up the middle and Abellera plated in the second run on a wild pitch.
 
The Wolves answered back in their half of the inning with three runs followed by another in the sixth.
 
Game 3 – CSUDH 4, CSUDH 3
Olague retook the field for the nightshift only this time getting the starting nod. She pitched three shutout innings but in the fourth the Sharks knocked in two, one of which was unearned. The lead didn't last long. In the Toros' half of the fourth, Claudia Valencia drew a one-out walk and Lopez singled and advanced to second, setting it up for Kaylee Hull to crush a 3-run home run to deep center field.
 
Like the Sharks, the Toros' lead was quick as Hawai`i Pacific answered back with an RBI triple to tie the game at three.
 
Hawai`i Pacific threatened to score in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. Wies came in to relieve Olague after she gave up a leadoff single. The go-ahead run reached second but was stranded.
 
In the Toros' half, Katelyn Sturm led off with a free pass to first and was subbed in for Angelina Alderete. With two down, Amara Labonog hit a hard single that ricocheted off a glove and into the outfield. Alderete never put on the brakes and reached home as the throw was cut off, sending the Toros home with the 4-3 win.
 
Dominguez Hills returns to the Great Park to play two more games, starting with Academy of Art at 11:45 a.m. followed by Montana State Billings at 4:30 p.m.