San Marcos’ Emily Mason can pat herself on the back after a three-run triple helped the senior pitcher and the Royals softball team come from behind to defeat Channel League rival Santa Barbara on Thursday, 6-3.
San Marcos gets its first league win and improves to 4-6 overall while Santa Barbara now holds an identical overall record at 4-6 but is winless in league at 0-3.
Mason contributed the big hit with two out in the fifth inning to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead. Mason also turned in a complete game in the pitcher’s circle for her third win of the season.
With the Dons holding a 3-1 lead after a three-run third inning, Natalie Williams got things started in the Royals’ bottom half of the fifth with a leadoff single. Chelsea Friedman came on as a pinch runner and ended up escaping a rundown between second and third base on the following play to put San Marcos runners on 2nd and 3rd base with nobody out.
Kelly Martyniuk’s bunt down the third-base line was mishandled, scoring Friedman and allowing Martyniuk to reach safely. Katelynn Kaufman was hit by a pitch to load the bases but San Marcos recorded two outs without anymore runs when Mason stepped to the plate.
Mason slapped her triple down the left-field line and all the way to the fence, clearing the bases to put the Royals up 5-3. Cady Haskell followed with her second RBI single of the game to make it 6-3.
“Those two seniors had the attitude that we’re not going to lose this game,” said San Marcos head coach Alex Sheldon of Haskell and Mason, both four-year players.
Because of the postponed game, neither team gets a rest. The Dons face their second crosstown rivalry game of the week at Dos Pueblos while San Marcos host league-leading Ventura.
SAN MARCOS 6, SANTA BARBARA 3
Santa Barbara 003 000 0 – 3 7 2
San Marcos 010 050 X – 6 6 0
SB – Neilsen-Robbins, and Lopez. SM – Mason, and Flattery. 2B – Fretz (SM). 3B – Mason (SM).
