Golden Bears Stun Panthers in Softball Season Finale
Cal snaps twelve game losing streak; ends season on a high note by winning final series against Pitt
PITTSBURGH, PA – The California Golden Bears (15-37, 5-19 ACC) are back in the win column in the final games of the softball season after a month of heartbreaking and disappointing losses. Following a game one loss, the Bears immediately turned the series around, winning their final two games of the regular season thanks to clutch pitching and a white hot offensive performance that never cooled down. The Pitt Panthers (25-26, 8-16 ACC) played host to the Bears at Vartbedian Field, having clinched one of the final spots in the ACC tournament going into the weekend.
Friday, Game 1: Cal 6 - 14 Pitt (6)
Cal rocketed to one of their fastest starts in game one of their series against Pitt. Sophia Everett put Cal on the board by turning on the fourth pitch of the game to knock her fourth home run of the season over the center field fence. This would end up being a trend throughout the series, as a total of thirteen home runs were hit between Cal and Pitt. With a 1-0 lead to start the ball game, head coach Steve Singleton turned to Tamya Waiters to take over in the circle. Pitt took advantage of an early Cal error to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first, and a solo home run in the bottom of the second would give the Panthers a two run advantage, bringing Layna Gerhard to the circle in relief. Waiters returned to pitch later in the game.
The Panthers increased the deficit to 4-1 in the bottom of the third before Cal responded with a massive offensive inning of their own. With a runner on first, Gator Robinson went yard for the eighth time this season, bringing the Bears within one of Pitt. Kayli Counts mirrored Robinson with her first home run of the season, and Everett added another home run to the party to give Cal another one run lead. Pitt tied the game at five each in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bears again inched in front after an RBI single from Carly Raven brought home Maddie Rey from third for the 6-5 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Singleton sent in Mya McGowan to relieve Gerhard after 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 3Ks. The Panthers didn’t give the freshman pitcher a moment to breathe, scoring a total of five runs against McGowan in that frame, bringing an end to her day after 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, and 2 BB. Waiters returned to the circle to relieve McGowan in the bottom of the sixth, however she was pulled a few batters later, ending her day with 1.1 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, and 1 K. Pitt iced the game on the next at-bat when third baseman Helton Gracie hit a grand slam against relief pitcher Kiki Mashhoud to give the Panthers a 14-6 lead, activating the run rule.
Cal finished game one with 8 hits on 22 at-bats. Sophia Everett went 2-3 with a pair of home runs, Carly Raven went 2-2 with 2 singles and 1 RBI, and Gator Robinson went 1-2 with a home run and 2 RBI’s. From the field: Gator Robinson and Anaya Togia were each credited with an error. WP: Allie Lukaszewicz (3-1) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 K. LP: Mya McGowan (4-14) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB.
Saturday, Game 2: Cal 11 - 0 Pitt (5)
In game two against Pitt the Bears came back with a vengeance. Taylor Peacock was given the starting nod, and the game began with an intense pitchers’ duel between her and the Panthers’ best arm Kyra Pittman. Cal was taken down in order in the top of the first with two strikeouts and a ground out, while Pitt knocked in just a pair of singles in the bottom of the same frame. After that, Peacock settled into a rhythm and only gave up two more hits to Pitt the rest of the game.
Cal broke the stalemate in the top of the third. Natalie Marshall took one for the team, and a single from Emma Jackson put runners on first and second with no outs. On the following at-bat, Everett fouled out in left field, but a throwing error by Pitt’s defense brought Harmony Andrade (pinch running for Marshall) home for Cal’s first run of the day. After Carly Raven walked to first, Maddie Rey brought home Jackson from third with a well placed bunt single. Gator Robinson reached first with another walk, loading the bases for Cal. Kayli Counts took advantage by knocking a sacrifice fly deep into center field that gave Raven plenty of time to reach home from third, securing a 3-0 lead for the Bears.
A short 1-2-3 bottom of the third brought Cal’s lineup back to the plate. Instead of just adding on to their lead, the Golden Bears tore off a massive eight run lead as California batted around. D’Auna Johnson started off the fourth with a single into shallow left field. It would take just one pitch to bring the senior back to the dugout as Marshall hit a bomb into deep left field, picking up two runs on her first home run of the season. A couple at-bats later, a wild pitch sent Jackson sprinting home from third for Cal’s sixth run, while Everett reached third. A pair of walks and a single brought Everett home and loaded the bases with Raven, Rey, and Robinson reaching third, second, and first respectively.
On the second pitch of the following at-bat, Kayli Counts secured some revenge for the walkoff grand slam Pitt scored in the previous game by sending a rocket of her own into deep left field, clearing the bases as Cal went up 11-0. The grand salami was Counts’ second home run of the season, and Cal’s first slam of the season. Peacock returned to the circle to defend the Bears’ lead the rest of the way with ease. The Panthers attempted to rally in the bottom of the fourth with runners on first and second, however Cal quickly turned a double play to maintain the shutout. In the bottom of the fifth, it only took twelve pitches for Peacock to end the game, securing her first complete game shutout of the season.
The Golden Bears’ bats were white hot in their second contest against the Panthers, picking up 10 hits on 24 at-bats. Kayli Counts went 1-3 with a grand slam and a sacrifice fly for 5 RBI’s, Natalie Marshall went 1-1 with a 2-run home run while being hit by a pitch twice, and Maddie Rey went 2-3 with a pair of singles and 2 RBI’s. From the field: Cal recorded a clutch 5-3 double play in the bottom of the fourth when Rey nabbed a line drive and threw out a runner trying to return to first. WP: Taylor Peacock (2-4) 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 K. LP: Kyra Pittman (7-8) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.
Sunday, Game 3: Cal 9 - 1 Pitt (6)
With the series split between Cal and Pitt, the rubber match represented Cal’s final chance to take a conference series. The Bears did not disappoint in their season finale, getting off to a hot start they never looked back from. With two outs down in the top of the first, Rey went yard to deep center field to get Cal on the board. In the bottom of the same frame, Kiki Mashhoud became the final pitcher to enter the circle for California this season, giving up just a single but keeping Pitt from scoring.
In the top of the second, Kayla Lee snuck a first pitch single through the infield, and Marshall followed that up with her second home run in as many games, widening the deficit to three. From there, both offenses cooled off dramatically, with Mashhoud keeping Pitt silent through four innings. After quiet third and fourth innings, a walk for Raven and a single from Rey would put runners on first and second with no outs. A sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of Robinson brought Raven home, and a double from Counts gave Cal a 5-0 lead when Counts crossed the plate.
Up by five in the top of the sixth, the Bears were cruising towards a victory when a hit by pitch, a fielding error, and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs. Instead of outlasting the Panthers into the seventh, Cal decided to end the game early with a mercy rule win. Raven hit the first pitch sent her way back up the middle for a 2-RBI single, scoring pinch runner Xiomei Geluz from third and Jackson from second. Anaya Togia added her own 2-RBI single to the mix, giving Cal a 9-0 lead as they entered the bottom of the sixth. Pitt clawed back one run in the bottom of the frame thanks to a sacrifice fly, however Mashhoud shut the door on the Panthers immediately after, giving Cal their first series win of the season.
Cal was productive again with their bats against Pitt, recording 9 hits on 28 at-bats. Maddie Rey picked up another impressive day at the dish, going 2-4 with a single and a solo home run, Natalie Marshal went 1-3 with her second home run of the season (and her third hit by pitch in two games), and Anaya Togia and Carly Raven each recorded 2-RBI singles to put the game on ice. Finally, Kayla Lee stole one last base this season. WP: Kiki Mashhoud (3-9) 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. LP: Mia Kliethermes (5-2) 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB.
Final Reflections:
Without a doubt, this is the best Cal has played all year. Despite dropping game one and being clinched out of the ACC and NCAA tournaments, Cal put up one hell of a fight against Pitt and gave fans an electrifying season finale. Five Golden Bears hit eight homers, scoring fourteen total runs. Three batters (Kayli Counts, Natalie Marshall, and Sophia Everett) each hit two home runs, with Everett recording two in one game. Meanwhile, the season’s only grand slam arrived off the bat of Counts just in time to put down Pitt in game two. From the circle, Taylor Peacock and Kiki Mashhoud threw their first complete games of the season, with Peacock earning her first complete game shutout. The two sophomore pitchers were absolutely clutch in their individual performances, giving up just nine hits and only a single run between them. The Bears were firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, making short work of the Pitt Panthers to win the series.
2026 was a truly unprecedented season for Cal Softball. The Bears finished the season by jumping up in the ACC standings from 15th to 13th, just barely missing out on the ACC Tournament. I will be putting together a season wrap up article in the near future to review it as a whole, but for now, I will bring this article to a close with a short message to our readers—and to the greater Cal Softball community.
Thank you very much for joining us for another year of Cal Softball. I’ll be back soon to cover Cal’s transfer portal moves–and any other softball news–as it happens. Until then: Go Bears!