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SAN MARCOS, Calif. - Playoffs are where legends are made, and Jayline Sloss made sure her name will forever be associated with Cal State San Marcos' first CCAA Softball Tournament Championship.
 
After earning the win in the Cougars' first two games, Sloss entered this winner-take-all game as a reliever in the fifth inning with a two-run lead. The 2024 CCAA Pitcher of the Year went the rest of the way, allowing only an unearned run, to record the save and lock down the title in a 6-2 victory over No. 4 seed Cal State East Bay.
 
Playing as the designated visitor on its home field, Cal State San Marcos built a 3-1 lead after three innings. Madison Waymire hit a solo home run as the game's second batter. Then, in the third, Aneesa Arredondo tripled in Waymire before coming in to score on a two-out hit by Mackenzie Kestler.
 
Starting pitcher Dahlia Fink got through one more inning unscathed before CSUSM coach Stef Ewing decided to bring Sloss out of the pen. She put up zeroes in the fifth and sixth innings, as the Cougars tacked on one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to extend its lead to 6-1.
 
Sloss got two quick outs in the seventh, then worked around a pair of errors before recording the final out on a strikeout. The right-hander from Bakersfield was named the tournament MVP after allowing 12 hits and four runs (three earned) in 17 innings of work. She earned each of their first two wins before registering her first save of the season while closing the championship game.
 
Dahlia Fink (7-2) earned the win. She pitched the first four innings, allowing one run and three hits, walking two and striking out three.
 
 
Cal State East Bay's Ashlee Toy had a fantastic tournament, and without her efforts in the batter's box or the pitcher's circle, the Pioneers would not have been in a position to win their first CCAA Championship. In three games over the last two days, the left-hander went 18 innings, giving up only 14 hits and two runs (one earned). She earned two wins when her team was facing elimination, including an earlier game in the day.
 
Cal State San Marcos was able to somewhat figure out Toy after seeing her for the third time in the last two days. She gave up only five hits and no walks, but three of the five hits were for extra bases, and each of them came in to score.
 
Toy was joined on the all-tournament team by her teammates Marissa Quintero, Jeslyn Cuellar and Annelise Garcia. In addition to Sloss as the MVP, Cal State San Marcos placed Madison Waymire, Paige Donnelly, and Mackenzie Kestler on the team. Cal State Dominguez Hills also had three all-tournament selections (Mariah Ramirez, Alexis Aguado, and Jay Ross).
 
With the victory, Cal State San Marcos earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional next weekend. Cal State East Bay, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Sonoma State all hope to earn an at-large berth after being listed in the top 8 of last week's NCAA regional rankings. The NCAA Selection Show is on Monday, May 6, at 7 a.m. on NCAA.com.