DENVER, Colo. – The Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team took the 2022 season to the final day and was in need of two wins against Rogers State to claim the NCAA Division II Championship. The Toros fought but came up short as the Hillcats scored all their runs in the middle innings to post a 6-1 win for the national championship.
 
The Toros' historical season comes to a close at 45-24, highlighted by the program's first ever NCAA West Regional title, a trip to the World Series and a run to the Championship Series in their first attempt.
 
Both sides had the bases loaded had multiple opportunities to knock in runs. The Toros got one run in the first inning on Maiya Lopez's sacrifice fly and in the fourth inning the Hillcats got a two-run single to take a 2-1 lead. In the fifth inning they had the bases loaded for the third time and got the third run on a sacrifice fly and the fourth run on a single through the left side.
 
Ashley Wies got the starting nod again and had to battle a challenging strike zone. Despite giving up four walks and loading up the bases within the first three innings, Wies got out of them without allowing a run. But in the fourth inning, Wies issued a leadoff walk but got the next two batters out. She would walk the bases loaded that would set up the two run scoring for the Hillcats.
 
Alyssa Olague came into the game after the two-run single in the fifth but lasted one inning, being charged with two unearned runs. She finished her junior season with 231 strikeouts, coming up one short from tying pitching coach Stephanie Guerra's single-season record.
 
Although the Toros will be returning home as the runner-up, they did see a positive in their first trip to the World Series. Raquel Jaime etched her name in the tournament record book for most hits at the final site with 16, breaking the mark by four.