Softball Drops Final Two Games in Riverside Series

After a mercy rule victory over the Riverside City College Tigers in the first game of a three-game series last Tuesday, the Santiago Canyon College softball team set themselves up for their first series sweep. However, the Hawks fumbled in the following two game by losing the second game, 9-7, and the rubber match, 6-4.

GAME TWO

The Hawks held a comfortable lead entering the seventh inning as a light sprinkle began to coat the diamond.  The weather proved to be a sign as the Tigers went on to score five unanswered runs in the top of the seventh inning, erasing the Hawk's 7-4 lead, thus resulting in a loss.

Offense was not the issue as the Hawks barreled nine hits leading to the seven runs. Sophomore catcher Raneem Kerdiya launched her third rounder-tripper of the season which came in the bottom of the first inning. She sits tied for third in the conference in homeruns. 

Sophomore center fielder Alyssa Patlan went 2-for-3 with two RBI, a run scored and a career-high four stolen bases. Freshman shortstop Millie Maher swiped two bags to place her first in the conference with 24 total steals. Patlan sits in third with 18 swiped bags. She is also tied for firth in the conference with 35 hits. 

Freshman starting pitcher Madison Lee (9-18) was slapped with the loss after allowing nine runs on 11 hits with two of them being unearned. She fanned six batters bringing her total up to 84 punch outs on the season.

GAME THREE

The long ball haunted the Hawks on Friday afternoon as the Tigers launched a pair of bombs to account for four of their six runs.

Riverside jumped out to an early two run lead, but a three-run top of the second inning by the Hawks swayed the score in their favor.

Maher found herself up with the bases loaded with one out and drew a walk to score Lee. Patlan continued the inning with a single through the right side, scoring freshman first baseman Kaitlin Murphy. R. Kerdiya capped the inning by drawing the second bases loaded free pass of the inning to score freshman right fielder Kaitlyn Martinez to grab a 3-2 lead.

The lead was short lived as the Tigers went on to score four more runs in the following two frames. The Hawks tried to battle back, but they were only able to scratch across one more run in the top of the fifth inning eventually leading to a 6-4 defeat.

Patlan extended her hitting streak to 12-straight games after going 2-for-3 with a RBI. Over the last 12 games, she is 19-for-38 (.500) with 11 RBI. Of the 12 games, she has recorded seven multi-hit games.