Softball picks up critical win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
|
Saddleback | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 10 | 4 |
The Saddleback softball team defeated Riverside City College, 5-2, on Wednesday at Trani Field. The Gauchos moved up a spot in the standings with the win.
Saddleback has had an up and down season in 2016, which may explain the 10-10 record. However, despite being even in wins and losses the Gauchos have the No. 7 rating in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) in Southern California and with a good finish could qualify for the playoffs at the end of April. A win over a program like Riverside on Wednesday could go a long ways towards reaching that goal.
Saddleback fell behind early when Riverside scored solo runs in the first and third innings to take a 2-1 lead into the fourth inning. The Gauchos finally made their move in the bottom half of the fourth when Samantha Molina led off the inning with a game-tying home run to center field. The Tiger pitching and defense then had some issues, walking one, throwing a wild pitch and committing an error, giving Saddleback runners in scoring position with two outs in the inning. Nelsa Delagente then made them pay, singling through the left side to score the go-ahead run.
Saddleback added two insurance runs in the fifth inning when Amanda Padilla (pictured) singled on the left side of the infield, scoring both Molina and Emily Malfavon. It put the Gauchos out front 5-2 and was all they needed.
Delagente pitched a complete game to improve to 9-10 for the season on the hill. She gave up nine hits while striking out four, surrendering just one earned run on the afternoon. Delagente worked out of a jam in the seventh inning when the Tigers had back-to-back singles with two outs, putting the potential tying run at the plate. Delagente then struck out Laura Mendez swinging to seal the deal.
Saddleback moved into fourth place in the Orange Empire Conference standings, passing up Riverside. The Gauchos are one game back of third place Fullerton and 1.5 games out of second place (Santiago Canyon).
Saddleback now has nearly two weeks away from conference play and will play in the Bash at the Beach Tournament in Santa Barbara this weekend. The Gauchos open against Pasadena City College on Saturday at 10:00 AM.