Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 Turlock, Calif. — The Dominican University of California women's softball team opened up its season winning two of three games in the Best of the West Invitational on opening day and with back-to-back wins to begin the season for the first time in the NCAA Division II era.

Game Three vs. Cal State Stanislaus

Dominican (2-1) started the day in a big way with a 6-5 victory over Cal State Stanislaus (0-1). After freshman Katelyn Harden (1-0) worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first thanks to runner interference, she got it done in the batter's box. Samantha Talavera gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with the bases loaded single to right field, then Harden followed that with a single up the middle to plate Kayleigh Klingberg and Tori Johnson. Dominican added three more in the second thanks to Leslie Mesa's RBI double to left center and a Talavera RBI double on a full count.

The Warriors scratched out a run in the third, then made things close for comfort with a four-inning fourth. The Penguins tacked on an insurance run in the sixth on another Mesa RBI double that scored Johnson all the way from first.

Second baseman Rachel Santiago extinguished the Warriors' final threat by fielding a grounder, tagging the runner, and flipping to first for the game-ending double play.

Harden earned the win in her first collegiate appearance. She allowed seven hits, five runs but just two earned, and struck out one in the complete-game victory.

Game Three vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills

In game two, the Penguins won 6-5 in eight innings against Cal State Dominguez Hills (0-2). Dominican sent sophomore Ashlyn Moriarity to the circle. She earned the victory despite issuing 14 walks in the complete-game effort.

She walked two in the first and managed to work her way out of it but a pair of leadoff walks in the second would prove costly. Both batters scored as part of a three-run Toros inning, yet Moriarity was saved from further damage by a bullet to the plate from shortstop Kayla Rodriguez that prevented another run from crossing.

Kayleigh Klingberg placed a triple down the right field line to lead off the Dominican half of the fourth and a Talavera sacrifice bunt would bring Klingberg home easily. Dominican chipped away in the fifth with a run but gave it right back after a leadoff walk resulted in another Toros run.

Dominican tied it in thrilling fashion in the sixth inning. Klingberg led the inning off, doing herself one better by belting her first homer of the season and easily clearing the right center field fence. Later in the inning, Dominique Perry followed with an RBI pinch-hit single up the middle that drove home Marissa Cordisco.

The Penguins needed extra innings to finish things off. Klingberg was placed at second base as part of the international tiebreaker rules and scored easily from second when Moriarity's sacrifice bunt was launched into right field by third baseman Elizabeth Jimenez. That allowed Moriarity to advance to third with no outs. Sarah McKenzie came in to run and scored on Rachel Santiago's single off of pitcher Karen Peterson (0-1).

Another leadoff walk found Moriarity in hot water yet again and the Toros managed to plate a run but a comebacker to Moriarity ended the Dominguez Hills threat.

Game Three vs. Cal State Monterey Bay

Dominican looked good for the first half of an eventual 9-1 five-inning loss to Cal State Monterey Bay.

Kayla Rodriguez walked to lead off the game and advanced all the way to third on a pair of passed balls. She scored on a Mesa sacrifice bunt.

Things unraveled for Dominican starter Karly Harris in the fourth inning, when she was tagged for nine hits and eight runs.

Dominican never got anything going at the end of the night and the Otters added one more run in the fifth to end things early.

Talavera had four hits and finished Saturday hitting .667/.667/.833 with three RBIs. In addition to earning the win, Harden went .500/.500/.500 with a pair of RBIs. Klingberg finished her day hitting .429/.600/1.143 with three hits and four runs. As a team, Dominican hit .294 on the day and scored 14 runs on 13 RBIs.

The Penguins finish up the Best of the West Invitational with games against San Francisco State at 10:15 a.m. and Chico State at 12:30 p.m. Live stats for both game will be available at dominicanathletics.com/live.