Benjamen powers Gauchos past Jags

The Saddleback softball team won its fourth straight game with an 8-5 win against Southwestern College on Wednesday afternoon at the Saddleback softball complex.  Annalie Benjamen hit a grand slam in guiding the Gauchos to the win.

Saddleback controlled the game from the outset, scoring once in the first inning, two more times in the third inning and five times in the fourth inning in taking an 8-2 lead.  Benjamen was right in the middle of things in all three innings.  She knocked in the first run of the game in the bottom half of the first inning when she laced a two-out line drive to center field to bring home Vanessa Alvarran.  Benjamen then singled to right field in the third inning with two runners on base, bringing home Alvarran for the second run of the game.  Her big blast came in the third inning when Saddleback had three singles and a walk in taking a 4-2 lead with Benjamen heading to the plate with the bases loaded.  She blasted the ball over the center field fence for the first home run of the season and an 8-2 lead.

Saddleback started Veronica Belleza on the mound and she pitched the first five innings of the game as the Gauchos built the big lead.  She was then replaced by Benjamen, who pitched into the seventh inning before Belleza re-entered to get the final two outs of the game.  Belleza picked up the win to improve to 4-0 on the season, but did give up her first earned run of the season in the top half of the fourth inning when the Jaguars cut the Saddleback lead to 4-2.  She finished with seven striekouts in the game. 

Saddleback outhit Southwestern 13-5 for the day with Benjamen finishing 4-for-4 with six RBI.  Emma Estep finished 3-for-3 while Alvarran was 3-for-4 as the Gauchos improved to 5-2 on the season.

Saddleback will play again on Monday when they travel to San Diego Mesa College to take on the Olympians.  The first pitch is scheduled for 2:30 PM in San Diego.