SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican softball completed a Saturday doubleheader sweep of Menlo with an 11-4 win in game one before finishing off the Oaks 8-0 in six innings in the nightcap at Penguin Field.
Leslie Ruiz and
Kate Tobola helped pace the Penguins (16-14, 10-6 PacWest) at the plate across the two games. Ruiz drove in five runs on 3-for-6 hitting with a double, a home run and two stolen bases.
Kate Tobola finished 5-for-7 with a double, three RBI and two stolen bases.
Alexis Verduzco moved to 6-2 on the year after pitching four innings in the first game and limiting the Oaks (8-25, 6-13) to four hits.
Taylor Rodriguez combined for her first shutout of 2026 pitching five innings and allowing two hits to move to 3-5 on the season for Dominican.
Game 1
Menlo struck first in the opening inning as Gabrielle Rodriguez doubled to center with two outs to take the 1-0 lead, but the Penguins answered immediately. After
Tiare Guerrero and
Leila Benson each walked and advanced on a wild pitch, Tobola lined a two-run single to right to take the 2-1 lead. Tobola stole second and advanced to third as Anabelle Burke singled on a bunt, but the Oaks kept the ball in its infield to escape the inning without further damage.
Verduzco retired the side in the second and an error allowed a runner on base in the bottom of the second. Guerrero cashed in on the mistake as she stole second before Tobola doubled to center to bring her home for the 3-0 lead. Menlo pulled within a run in the fourth as Rodriguez homered to left, but Dominican answered again as they took advantage of another Oak miscue to score two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Payton Oas scored on a throwing error by the pitcher before Rodriguez brought home
Alexis Abalos on a fielder's choice to make it 5-2.
The teams traded runs in the fifth as Dominican maintained its three run advantage heading into the final two innings. The Penguins exploded in the sixth as
Aneesa Brewer started the inning's scoring with a solo shot to left. Burke and
Jadyn Magnuson singled while
Morgan Saucedo walked to load the bases with one out. A wild pitch brought home Burke and another wild pitch on ball four brought home Magnuson. Saucedo also scored on the third wild pitch of the inning and Ruiz singled to right to bring home one more to cap off the five run inning.
Nayellys Torres-Gonzalez and
Mia Souza covered the final three innings in relief to seal the victory.
Game 2
Burke delivered the first breakthrough of the second game with a two-run double in the third after Tobola and Guerrero singled with two outs to keep the inning moving. After Brewer singled to center to lead off the fourth, Ruiz homered to left-center to stretch the advantage to four.
Kelissa Lee hit one to nearly the same spot three pitches later to push the lead to 5-0. Burke walked to start the fifth, before advancing to second on a wild pitch and to third after
Payton Oas singled to left. Oas stole second and Ruiz doubled to bring both runners home for the 7-0 lead.
The Penguins ended the game in the sixth as Tobola singled to left and
Alyssa Williams singled to right. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and Burke brought Tobola home with a sacrifice fly to right, ending the contest by mercy rule.
Dominican returns to Penguin Field for a doubleheader against Jessup on Saturday with first pitch at noon PDT.
