SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (25-20, 14-7 Big West) and the University of Hawai'i (27-16, 13-8 Big West) finished their regular-season series Friday afternoon in San Luis Obispo. The Rainbow Wahine edged out the Gauchos with a 5-4 walk-off victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara opened the third inning with Erin Mendoza doubling down the left field line and subsequently scoring on a sacrifice fly by Giselle Mejia, giving them a 1-0 lead. However, UH tied the game in the bottom half with an RBI single by, leveling the score at 1–1 after the third inning.

In the fourth inning, the Rainbow Wahine hit a two-run homer, pulling ahead 3–1. UC Santa Barbara's defense held strong in the fifth inning, but UH managed to score again due to a wild pitch, extending their lead to 4–1.

UC Santa Barbara responded in the sixth inning with a rally, highlighted by Mejia's two-RBI double that tied the game at 4–4. The Wahine, however, managed to score the winning run in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded walk, concluding the game with a 5–4 victory for UH.

CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS
With the loss the Gauchos stay in second place in the standings. Santa Barbara now sits two games behind Cal State Fullerton for first place and are now just a single game up on third place Hawai'i and CSUN.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos have a quick turnaround as they host UC Davis for their final regular season home series of the 2025 season. The Gauchos and Aggies will play a doubleheader tomorrow with game one set to begin at 12 p.m. Santa Barbara and Davis will conclude their series on Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m.