Build it and they will come

The Saddleback softball team saw its season come to a close on Wednesday with a 6-0 loss against Fullerton College at the Saddleback softball diamond.  It was the final game played in the old stadium before the school breaks ground on a new softball complex.

Kevin Costner once said in the movie Field of Dreams; "Build it and they will come."  The Saddleback faithful are hoping the same will ring true after saying goodbye to the field that has been home to the program since 1980.  After nearly 650 games on the old diamond, Saddleback will break ground on a new complex in the coming weeks that promises to have all of the bells and whistles. 

Wednesday's game marked the end of an era, but started with a barbeque and first pitch being thrown out by HMC Architect's Brad Glassic.  It ended with the team tearing the letters spelling S-A-D-D-L-E-B-A-C-K off of the outfield wall. 

In between there was a softball game that had little significance in the grand scope of things with Saddleback out of the playoff picture.  The Bobcats fell by a final count of 6-0, but the moment was not lost on the players.  Saddleback played their hearts out until the bitter end, even switching hats in the final inning to caps they had made with the names of the sophomores on the front. 

Fullerton scored three runs in the opening inning with a little help from Saddleback.  The Hornets had two hits and a walk in the inning and the Bobcats committed an error in the field.  The Hornets tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning and added an insurance run in the seventh for a 6-0 advantage.

Saddleback had one hit in the game as Lily Troiano led off the third inning with a single to center field.  Desiree McGruder pitched a complete game for Saddleback, striking out her final batter of the season in the top half of the seventh inning for her 93^rd strikeout of the year. 

Saddleback finishes the season at 15-21 overall and 5-16 in Orange Empire Conference play. 

The school is expected to break ground on the new complex in the coming month.  It will feature an NCAA regulation field with an artificial surface, upgraded dugouts, a team room, a video scoreboard and seating for close to 220 people.