ARCATA — Cal State Stanislaus rallied through the loser's bracket in Sunday's NCAA Division II West Region Softball Championships, winning a pair of games over Sonoma State to earn its way into next week's Super Regional series against Dixie State in St. George, Utah.

The Warriors took advantage of four Sonoma State errors to take the final game, 7-1, behind Jennifer Arnold's three-hitter. Arnold improved her pitching record to 13-8, striking out seven and walking none.

SSU starter Brittany Williams was tagged for the loss, giving up five runs – four of them earned – in 2 1/3 innings of work. Brittany Reynolds gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning before Lindsay Emmel shut the Warriors down through the final four frames.

Cal State Stanislaus (34-19) forced the second game on Sunday by defeating Sonoma State 2-1 earlier on the day to set-up the winner-take-all game.

"Our team believed that they were the best team there and we overcame the adversity of having to win two today," CSUS head coach Jan Schefkowitz said. "We came in knowing that it was going to be tough and we believed in each other."

Arnold got the start in the second game and was untouchable early. She took a no-hitter into the fifth until Brittany Martinez hit a single through the right side with one out.

"Today, the difference was I was in the zone. When I am in the zone, I don't hear anything else and was focusing on the 'river'. It was just me and my catcher," Arnold said. "Everything was working and coach did a great job calling the game."

"She was the MVP for us and out-of-your mind great," Schefkowitz said "Her screw ball was working and her change-up couldn't be hit. She was just outstanding."

Sonoma State lost its composure in the third inning, committing three physical errors and other mental miscues that allowed Cal State Stanislaus to grab a 5-0 lead. Nikky Rissetto led off the inning with a walk, then moved all the way to third when a pickoff throw from the catcher to first ended up in right field.

Britney Borba's single scored Rissetto, and both Borba and Brittany Balanesi were safe when the Seawolves threw unsuccessfully to second on Balanesi's sacrifice bunt. Following a walk and a wild pitch, the second hit of the inning, Meghan Franksen's double, was misplayed in the outfield to help the Warriors score two more runs.

Franksen came around to score herself when SSU shortstop Jessica Abelia fielded a hard-hit grounder, but threw high over the catcher's head. Back-to-back groundouts finally ended the frame, but the damage had been done.

Franksen's double is her 238th career hit, tying Kim Thurman's mark set in from 2000-2003.

CSU Stanislaus delivered the knockout in the fourth, stringing together a single, a walk, two stolen bases and another single to extend its lead to 7-0. Alyssa Guzman earned both RBIs when she stroked a hit up the middle, scoring Balanesi and Borba.

Sonoma State finally got to Arnold in the sixth when Abelia singled, stole second, and scored on Kayla Ledford's single up the middle. But Arnold retired three straight Seawolves in the seventh to end the game.

A big reason why the Warriors even got to a second game on Sunday was because of Kimiko Wright's clutch hit in the fourth inning of game one.

Cal State Stanislaus grabbed the lead in the fourth, executing the “small ball” page of the coaching manual to perfection. Franksen opened the inning with a walk, was sacrificed to second, and moved to third on a single by Arnold.

Pinch running for Arnold, Adrienne Sorenson stole second base while Franksen held at third. Wright followed with a double to right center, giving the Warriors a 2-0 lead.

"Kimiko is the best clutch hitter we've had since Karen Myers," Schefkowitz said. "She had some great at-bats as usually and came up with the big hit."

Jessica Gaumnitz pitched five innings to earn the win, giving up four hits while striking out four and walking one, and Jennifer Arnold added two innings of perfect relief for the Warriors. Lindsay Emmel went the distance for the Seawolves, holding the Warriors to four hits and striking out four, but hurting herself with five walks.

Sonoma State trimmed the margin to one run in the bottom of the fifth when Abelia opened inning with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Ashley Britton's single. Janelle Arnold followed with a double to right-center, but Britton was thrown out at the plate attempting to score.

Box Score - Game One
Box Score - Game Two