Softball Snaps Skid & Defeats Crosstown Foe

The Santiago Canyon College softball team looked to snap its three game losing streak on Tuesday afternoon by hosting the Santa Ana College Dons in the first game of a three-game series. The offensive flood gates open in the first three frames for both teams, but it was the Hawks who kept the bats hot in the ladder half of the ball game en route to a 7-5 win.

Both teams wasted no time etching runs on the scoreboard after Santa Ana kicked off the game by plating two runs in the top of the first inning. Santiago Canyon responded in the bottom half of the frame with two runs in response.

After a quick first out, sophomore left fielder Alyssa Patlan poked a single to center field and promptly swiped second to put herself in scoring position. Freshman second baseman Calysta Maciel kept the inning alive by drawing a two-out walk giving way to freshman third baseman Jazmine Garcia. Garcia cleared the bases with a triple, scoring Patlan and Maciel, to tie the game at two-all.

Santa Ana continued to apply pressure by scoring two more runs in the ensuing inning, but the Hawks continued to chip away with Patlan drawing a bases loaded walk in the second inning and freshman designated player sending home Maciel on a ground out to third base in the bottom of the third. This cut SCC's defecit to one run after three full frames. 

The Hawks entered the top of the fourth inning down 5-4, but sophomore starting pitcher Madison Lee held the Dons at bay by blanking them in the top of the fourth inning. She fanned the first batter she faced backed by to line drive outs.

Sophomore catcher Raneem Kerdiya gave the Hawks the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning as she stepped up with runners on second and third with one out. In a failed attempt to intentionally walk the power hitting backstop, she blasted a double to deep left field to plate freshman shortstop Millie Maher and Patlan to grab a 6-5 advantage.

Freshman relief pitcher Nadeen Kerdiya entered the circle in the top of the fifth inning and proceeded to axe the Dons's offensive efforts for the following three innings. She struck out two batters and worked around some trouble in the sixth inning.

The Hawks added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Freshman center fielder Haley Perez muscled a pop out to shallow right field, allowing freshman pinch runner Grace Potter to slide into home, thus resulting in a 7-5 win.

Patlan reached base in all four at bats as she went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two walks, a stolen base, and an RBI. Freshman right fielder Tasneem Kerdiya went 2-for-4, while Garcia and R. Kerdiya each drove in two runs on one hit each. 

Lee (5-10) earned the victory in the circle by tossing four innings and allowing five runs, two of which were earned. She punched out two batters in the process. N. Kerdiya tossed three quality innings, struck out two batters and earned her second save of the season.