FULLERTON – The Hope International softball team fell 3-1 and 5-4 to Westcliff on Saturday at Bastanchury Park.

Prior to the games, the Royals celebrated the careers of seniors Dejalei Visesio, Karlie Bilbrey, Emma McCraw, Natalie Corrales, Gabriela Holmes, Amanda Esquivel, Breanna Lucero and Vivian Little. 

The two teams matched each other in total hits (13) and errors (2) through both contests. Westcliff homered three times and the Royals struggled to bring home runners in scoring position.

HIU is now 25-16 overall heading into the home stretch of the regular season. Westcliff improved to 17-21.

Game 1 – Westcliff 3, Hope International 1
Kaitlyn Maaske retired five of the first six Warriors she faced. With Jessica Guillen on first with two outs in the second, Rachel Varela's slow roller in front of home plate was handled by Maaske, but her throw was wide of first base and rolled into right field. Guillen trucked home all the way from first for the 1-0 lead.

Maaske set down seven of the next eight batters as a pitcher's duel between her and Madison Mendez developed.

The Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the fifth as Varela drew a leadoff walk, and scored on a Sara Ellerton RBI double to right center. Maaske struck out two of the next three hitters – part of her six of the afternoon – to keep the Royals within striking distance.

Mendez kept HIU off the scoreboard for the first four innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. Corrales singled, Little walked and Lily Hernandez had a base hit to load the bases with one out. The Royals played station-to-station as Esquivel's single scored Corrales to trim the deficit to 2-1. 

Westcliff went to reliever Cecelia Hogel, and the Royals tried to tie the game on a wild pitch to the backstop, but the catcher's throw to the plate beat Little for the second out. HIU flied out to end the inning as Hogel preserved the tight one-run game.

Maaske pitched a clean sixth and the Royals had runners on first and second against Hogel in the bottom half, but could not generate the tying run.

Pinch hitter Emma Avelar homered for an insurance run to lead off the seventh. The Royals put a pair of runners on in their final at-bat, leading the Warriors to reinsert Mendez into the game. Mendez plunked Holmes with a pitch to load the bags, but a ground out to the pitcher sealed the 3-1 victory for the Warriors.

Mendez got the win after allowing five hits and a run in 4.2 innings of work. Maaske gave up seven hits and three runs (two earned) while walking just one.

Game 2 – Westcliff 5, Hope International 4
Westcliff scored four of its five runs via the long ball.

Ellerton slugged a two-run home run in the second to put the Warriors up 2-0. HIU starter Bilbrey hit the first two Warriors to start the third – and plunked Jasmyn Lara to fill the bases. With one out, Alyssa Lopez lifted a shallow fly ball to center field, but it was dropped for an error. Justice Reece scored on the play, although the Royals did get a force out at second for the second out. Varela fouled out to end the threat but Westcliff was staked to a 3-1 lead.

Little atoned for her miscue in center field in the bottom half as she roped a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for her third home run of the season.

HIU benefited from a Warrior error by the third baseman in the fourth as Holmes reached first, coming home on Visesio's double down the left field line. Visesio tried to stretch the hit into a triple, but was tagged out on a throw at third base.

Nadia Carillo replaced starting pitcher Jolene Miramontes and the Royals greeted her with a walk and three straight singles. Jocelyn Aguilar and Little brought in Chey Navarro and Aliyah Sandoval, respectively, as HIU took a 4-3 lead.

But the Warriors slammed their third home run of the doubleheader – and second of the game – as Mendez went deep over the left field wall, plating Reese who had led off the fifth with a single.

Bilbrey kept Westcliff scoreless in the sixth and seventh, but Hogel pitched 3.1 scoreless, one-hit innings to earn the win in relief. Little led off the seventh with a base hit and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, but Hogel got the next two Royals to ground out.

Bilbrey struck out seven in a complete game effort, yielding six hits and five runs (four earned). She fell to 5-4 on the season. Hogel improved to 5-4.

The Royals play their final six regular season games in Arizona, beginning with a Wednesday, April 22 doubleheader at Nelson. First pitch is noon.