Kailey Snyder tossed a perfect game on Thursday at Pershing Park and Carly Smith hit a home run in the second game as SBCC swept L.A. Pierce to secure the first WSC Gold Division title in its 14-year softball history.
The scores were 12-0 and 13-0 and both games were shortened to five innings by the eight-run rule. The 13 runs were a season high.
“Winning the conference is great,” said Snyder, who struck out six and drove in two runs in the opener. “It’s great to come from being somewhat the underdogs to coming out on top. It shows how strong we are as a team and how well we work together.”
SBCC (30-5, 15-2) won for the fifth straight time and seventh in eight games to improve to 14-2 at home. L.A. Pierce completed its season with records of 5-31 and 0-18.
Nicole Adair went 3-for-3 in the first game with two doubles and three runs. Laura Cannon and Jasmyne Holmes added two hits apiece.
In the nightcap, Adair pitched a three-hitter with five strikeouts. Stephanie Bolanos had two hits and drove in three runs, giving her eight RBIs in her last two games. Smith drilled her third homer — a two-run blast that richocheted off the scoreboard in center — during a five-run second inning that gave the home team a 9-0 lead.
Snyder (26-4) notched her 13th shutout in the opener and moved into fourth on the state strikeout list with 207. She entered the game with a 0.89 ERA and was coming off a no-hitter last Sunday in an 8-0 win over Golden West. The only blemish was a fourth-inning walk.
She didn’t know she had pitched a perfect game until after Thursday’s doubleheader.
“I was aware that I was doing well and I didn’t think anyone had reached base but I wasn’t sure and I wasn’t going to ask,” said Snyder, a sophomore from St. Joseph High in Santa Maria who was named the State Female Player of the Month for March.
“The great thing about Kailey’s perfect game is she threw just 46 pitches,” said coach Paula Congleton. “It’s exciting to win the conference title. I’m so proud of the kids.”
The Vaqueros sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth inning of the first game and scored seven runs on five hits. Three runs scored on wild pitches and Holmes sprinted home from second base on the first one.
All but one player had at least one hit in the second game with leadoff hitter Joan Cannon going 3-4 with three runs. Her twin sister, Laura, was 2-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
SBCC completes the regular season on Tuesday with a 2:30 p.m. home game against Hancock.
(5 inn., run rule)
L.A. Pierce …… 000 00 — 0 0 1
SBCC ……….…. 203 7x — 12 10 0
Krahling and Leon; Snyder and Bolanos. W–Snyder 26-4. L–Krahling 5-23.
2B–SB: Adair 2, Snyder.
(5 inn., run rule)
L.A. Pierce ..…. 000 00 — 0 3 4
SBCC ………….. 453 1x — 13 12 0
Krahling and Leon; Adair and Bolanos. W–Adair 4-1. L–Krahling 5-24.
2B–SB: L. Cannon. HR–SB: Smith (3), 3rd inn., one on.
