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Cal State San Marcos scored three early runs and Jayline Sloss pitched six innings to lead the No. 3-seeded Cougars to a 3-1 win over No. 1 seed Cal State East Bay in an elimination game.
 
After posting only one run in its earlier game, Cal State San Marcos rallied for three two-out runs in the top of the second to give Sloss an early cushion. Delaney Prater, Makenzie Guiliano, and Mackenzie Kestler reached base to bring Madison Waymire to the plate. The senior outfielder battled through a seven-pitch at-bat to earn a walk and bring home the game's first run. Fellow senior Paige Donnelly tacked on two more runs as she singled an 0-2 pitch up the middle.
 
Sloss would face trouble in the second and third innings, but her defense made plays each time to help her escape trouble. In the third, a hit by pitch, an error, and a single scored the first run of the game for the Pioneers (3-1). They were still threatening with two on and no one out, but Sloss induced a ground ball to third base, which Jillian Albayati turned into a first-to-third double play. Two batters later, Sloss got a fly out to left field to end the rally.
 
Sloss just got better from that point. She retired seven of the next eight batters and got the game into the sixth inning with CSUSM still leading 3-1. A double by Jeslyn Cuellar and a single by Ysabella Cortez put the tying runs on base with two out. Again, Sloss was able to get a ground ball to Albayati, who threw across the diamond to first to end the Pioneers’ threat.
 
In the seventh, CSUSM turned to Dahlia Fink, who delivered a perfect 1-2-3 inning to earn her third save.
 
Paige Donnelly went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI for Cal State San Marcos. She was the only Cougar to record multiple hits. Annelise Garcia and Ysabella Cortez each collected two hits for Cal State East Bay.
 
Jaidyn Gamble pitched 5.1 scoreless innings in relief for CSUEB. After entering the game with the bases loaded in the second inning, she worked out of trouble. Gamble would give up only four hits and one walk while keeping the Pioneers in the game.
 
Cal State San Marcos survived in the elimination portion of the 2025 CCAA Softball Tournament presented by FloCollege. It will face the losing team between No. 2 seed San Francisco State and the No. 4 seed Sonoma State on Friday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m.