The Holy Names University Hawks took the field in the NAIA National Championships on Thursday for the first time in the program's history. Their opponent was the Point Loma Nazarene University Sea Lions, a university whose softball program had gone to the National Championships for the ninth consecutive season.
The Hawks started California Pacific Conference Pitcher of the Year Stephani Fairclough while Point Loma Nazarene started Melissa Gomez. Fairclough started slow in the top of the first hitting Jenel Guadagno in the first at-bat of the game. After Fairclough walked Melissa Gomez and hit batter Taryn Lent, Fairclough buckled down got the remained Sea Lions to end the visitor side of the first. Gomez, in the home half of the 1st, struck out two Hawks and got an out on a come-backer to the pitcher to the end the 1st scoreless.
In the second, the Sea Lions would score two runs on a Gomez single to center putting the Sea Lions up 2-0. The Sea Lions would tag on one run in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings for the final margin.
Melissa Gomez got the win for the Hawks, going six innings and giving up four hits while striking out five and walking only one Hawk. Jenel Guadagno went one for two with two runs scored for the Sea Lions who moved to 1-0 in Pool D play. For the Hawks, Stephani Fairclough went all seven innings giving up seven hits and five runs, four of each were earned, while striking out two and walking six. Tiffany Chan, Rachel Martinez and Stephanie Neal all went one for three at the plate for the Hawks. 
