Softball dings the Dons

The Saddleback softball team entered play on Wednesday afternoon riding a three-game losing streak, with Santa Ana coming to town having won five straight.  The Gauchos responded by hitting three dingers, turning back the Dons and ending the brief skid.

Tiffany McCracken led Saddleback both at the plate and on the mound, winning her first game of the season on the hill while finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI.  McCracken got things going early for Saddleback, doubling home Katlin Olesky in the bottom of the first inning to give the Gauchos a 1-0 lead.  She later hit a two-run home run to center field in the fifth inning, giving Saddleback a commanding 5-0 lead.

Joining McCracken in the offensive onslaught was Chantel Biehl, Sarah DiTommaso and Sydney Abounassar, who combined finished 8-for-9 with two home runs and four RBI. DiTommaso hit a two-run home run in the second inning to give Saddleback a 3-0 lead and Abounasser hit a solo shot to right field to lead off the sixth inning to up the lead to 6-0. 

McCracken (pictured) was brilliant on the mound through six innings before a couple of hiccups in the final inning.  She surrendered two of the four hits for Santa Ana in the final inning, giving up her only two runs of the game with the outcome well in hand.

Saddleback now stands at 3-3 on the season and 1-1 in Orange Empire Conference play with the win.  The Gauchos will play again over the weekend in a tournament at Miramar College.  Saddleback opens the tournament against Rio Hondo College (4-3) on Saturday at 11:00 AM.  They again play at 3:00 PM on Saturday against Ventura College (2-5).