Kailey Snyder turned in a masterful performance on Tuesday afternoon, holding Moorpark to three singles and striking out a school-record 15 in a 3-0 softball victory at Pershing Park.
“She throws harder than most pitchers and she was hitting her spots,” said Vaquero catcher Stephanie Bolanos while rubbing her left palm. “Look at my hand. My finger is swollen because she throws so hard.”
The Vaqueros (14-2, 5-0) are ranked No. 7 in the state and No. 4 in Southern California. They’re the only unbeaten team in the WSC Gold Division after handing Moorpark (8-8, 3-1) its first loss.
Snyder, a sophomore from St. Joseph High, only gave up an infield single and a walk in the first five innings. Her previous high for strikeouts was 11 last Saturday in a 6-0 loss to No. 8 Riverside.
The Vaqueros scored twice in the fourth on singles by Lisa Zeitlin and Bolanos, followed by an RBI single from pinch-hitter Mariah Coyazo and a run-scoring groundout by Nicole Adair.
Snyder (13-2) fanned six in a row in the middle innings and struck out 12 of the last 16 batters. She had four 1-2-3 innings and struck out the side in the fourth and seventh.
SBCC’s previous strikeout record was 12 by Maria Coder, set in 2005.
“I felt really good today,” said Snyder after notching her sixth shutout. “I kept thinking about Riverside. I had so much intensity and concentration in that game. If there was ever a moment I thought I might give up a little bit, I just brought myself back to the Riverside game.
“My pitch location was a big thing today and I tried to keep them off-balance.”
Snyder has allowed three hits or less in 10 of her 15 games.
Bolanos had two hits and scored twice for the Vaqueros, who had eight hits but stranded nine runners. SBCC scored its last run in the sixth when Bolanos singled and scored on a groundout by Carly Smith.
“Everything was working for Kailey, her drop had a good six inches on it,” said coach Paula Congleton. “It looked like she had a little more heat on the ball and they just weren’t getting around on it.”
The Vaqueros will host their eight-team Bash at the Beach Tournament this weekend. On Saturday, they’ll take on El Camino (noon) and East L.A. (4 p.m.).
SBCC 3, MOORPARK 0
Moorpark ….. 000 000 0 — 0 3 4
SBCC ……….. 000 201 x — 3 8 0
Boicourt and Gamm; Snyder and Bolanos. W–Snyder 13-2. L–Gamm 8-8.
What D1 Colleges are recruiting her?