Cats show mettle against Olympians

The Saddleback softball team picked up a non-conference win over San Diego Mesa College on Monday at Esencia Park.  The Bobcats rapped out 12 hits in beating the Olympians, 10-3.

Saddleback never trailed in the game, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom half of the second inning.  Malia Garcia (pictured) led off the inning with a triple to right field, later coming around to score the opening run of the game on a single from Macy Smith.  The second run came from Lily Troiano, who was squeezed home when Sofia Krause laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt for a 2-0 lead.  The Bobcats then scored a third on a throwing error from the Mesa catcher, allowing Smith to score from third base.

Mesa tied the game in the top half of the third inning but Saddleback quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim the lead.  Garcia was again in the middle of the rally, singling to left field and eventually coming around to score on a hit from Sarah Araujo for a 4-3 advantage.

The biggest defensive moment came in the top half of the fourth inning when Mesa loaded the bases with no outs against Alexa Pfutzenreuter.  The Olympians then self-destructed as Pfutzenreuter got a strikeout and two lazy pop-ups to get out of the inning. 

Saddleback used the momentum to score three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to push the lead to 7-3.  The Bobcats had hits from McKenzie Lombard, Moanike'ala Scott and Averi Moon for the first run of the inning.  Saddleback then scored twice on a sacrifice fly, with the last run coming off a throwing error from the Mesa catcher. 

Saddleback added insult to injury in the bottom half of the fifth inning when they scored three more times to put the game out of reach.  The Bobcats had the bases loaded with two outs when Mia Calderon hit a ball to right field that was misplayed by the right fielder, allowing all three runners to cross home plate for a 10-3 lead. 

Garcia finished 2-for-2 while reaching base three times and scoring two runs to lead the offense.  Lombard, Scott, Smith and Araujo all joined her with two hits on the afternoon.

Saddleback is now 7-12 overall following the win.  The Bobcats will play again on Wednesday when they host Citrus College at Esencia Park.  The Bobcats and Owls are scheduled to start at 2:30 PM.