Softball hangs on for key win at Santa Ana

The Saddleback softball team has been somewhat inconsistent in recent weeks, going 2-4 since entering the bulk of conference play in late February.  The Gauchos picked up a key win on Wednesday at Santa Ana, beating the Dons 7-6 to move into a tie for fourth place in conference play.

Saddleback was desperate for a win against a Santa Ana program that is battling with the Gauchos for fourth place in the Orange Empire Conference.  The Gauchos held on for dear life at the end, as the Dons scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it a one-run game.  Sabrina Pere hit a three-run home run for Santa Ana to make the score 7-6 with no outs in the bottom half of the final inning.  Tiffany McCracken then settled down for Saddleback, retiring the next three batters on a fly out, strike out and pop-up to preserve the much-needed win.

McRae Cayton (pictured) was a one-man wrecking crew for Saddleback, finishing 4-for-4 with two triples and a double with two runs-scored.  Sydney Abounassar and Christina Pantages also had two hits on the afternoon as the Gauchos touched Santa Ana pitchers for 10 hits on the day.

Saddleback improved to 9-7 overall and 4-5 in Orange Empire Conference play with the win.  The Gauchos and Dons are now tied for fourth place in conference play, two games back of Santiago Canyon. 

Saddleback will play this weekend in the Bakersfield College Tournament on Saturday and Sunday.  The Gauchos will face off against Bakersfield College at 10:00 AM on Saturday morning before facing Cerritos College at 12:00 PM.