FULLERTON – Hope International softball snapped a four-game skid with a solid 4-1 victory in the series finale of Saturday's doubleheader against OUAZ at Bastanchury Park. The Royals let game one get away in a 4-3 loss after committing a costly error in the seventh.

Lily Hernandez led the Royals going 4-for-8 at the plate and Karlie Bilbrey picked up her first career collegiate victory.

Game 1 – OUAZ 4, Hope International 3
The Royals trailed 2-1 entering the top of the seventh. Kaitlyn Maaske faced first and second with two outs, and got Savannah Sutton to strike out. But the ball squirted away from the catcher, and instead of throwing down to first to retire the batter, she threw to the third baseman.

The third baseman assumed the inning was over as well – and rolled the ball toward the circle – but the play was still live. Nayeli Inzunza scored all the way from second on the play to increase the Spirit's lead to 3-1.

Ava Seguin followed with an RBI single to widen the lead to three runs, with both runs unearned.

That proved costly for the Royals, who rallied in the bottom half of the seventh. Pinch hitter Aliyah Sandoval drew a leadoff walk. With pinch runner Bilbrey on second, Hernandez notched an RBI double to cut the deficit to 4-2. Hernandez scored on Amanda Esquivel's single down the right field line to make it a 4-3 game.

Dejalei Visesio and Gabriela Holmes followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. But Breanna Lucero flied out to left field to end the game, as Alexis Ayersman tossed the final 3.0 innings to earn her second save of the series. 

HIU took a 1-0 lead in the second on doubles from Gabriela Holmes and Arianna Aguirre. OUAZ tied it at 1-1 after executing a double steal in which Inzunza stole home.

Seguin flighted a towering solo shot to center field in the sixth to break the tie for the 2-1 lead.

Maaske went the distance, scattering seven hits and allowing four runs (two earned) with six strikeouts.

Stephanie Cortazar pitched the first 4.0 innings for OUAZ and got the win, improving to 4-1.

Game 2 – Hope International 4, OUAZ 1
Bilbrey dealt with runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings, but the Spirit managed just one third inning run.

She got Seguin to whiff with a runner on second in the first. After allowing a leadoff double to Alexis Jimenez in the second, she retired the next three batters.

Brianna Humphries accounted for OUAZ's lone run with a base hit that scored Elysa Moreno in the third.

In the fourth, Sutton led off with a double, but Bilbrey struck out three straight pinch hitters – Maddy Syverson, MariaFernanda Lerma and Angelina Granado.

The Royals notched two runs in the third and two more in the fourth.

With the bases loaded, Visesio roped a double into the left center gap to plate Sydnee Loyola and Esquivel as the Royals took a 2-1 lead in the third.

In the fourth, with two outs and runners on first and second, Loyola's base hit brought in Aguirre for the third HIU run. Esquivel drew a walk to load the bases, but Seguin threw a wild pitch on ball four as Chey Navarro scampered home for the 4-1 lead.

The Spirit loaded the bases on Bilbrey in the sixth, and HIU turned to Maaske to escape the jam. She did just that, getting Moreno to line into a double play at first base.

OUAZ threatened again in the seventh, loading the bags on three straight singles. But Maaske got Jimenez to strikeout, followed by a 1-2-3 double play on Sutton's comebacker to the pitcher.

Bilbrey lasted 5.1 innings with six strikeouts. Maaske earned the save after pitching the final 1.2 innings.

The Royals are off until Friday, March 20 when they welcome Arizona Christian for a four-game series. The doubleheader begins at noon.