The first softball games in April were memorable for SBCC as the Vaqueros swept Hancock on Tuesday in a battle for second place in the WSC Gold Division.
Santa Barbara edged Hancock 8-7 on Tara Crawford’s walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning of the opener at Pershing Park, then rallied for four runs in the sixth inning of a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
The Vaqueros (17-13, 7-3 WSC) won for the fifth straight time and improved to 8-2 at home. Hancock fell to 12-15 and 5-6.
SBCC turned a triple play in the third inning of the second game. With the bases loaded and no outs in a 2-2 game, Moriah Vargas hit a screaming liner to third base. Bryn Thompson caught the ball, stepped on third for the second out and fired to first baseman Natalie Orosco to complete a rare triple play.
“That may be the first triple play for one of my teams,” said coach Paula Congleton, who’s in her 14th season as head coach. “What a smart, heads-up, quick play by Bryn. That was awesome. It kept us in the game and fired everybody up.”
Caitlin Voss belted a solo homer to left to boost Hancock’s lead to 4-2 in the fifth. Voss is the Southern Cal leader with 12 homers.
The Vaqueros rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Orosco reached on a fielder’s choice, Samantha Cabada beat out an infield hit and Mariah Coyazo delivered an RBI single to right. Cabada eventually tied the game when she scored on a throwing error.
SBCC took the lead, 5-4, on Bri Portese’s run-scoring groundout to second and got an insurance run on Kayla Dormer’s pinch-hit RBI single to right.
“We just can’t seem to get rid of that nickname, ‘Comeback Kids,’ “ noted Congleton. “It really shows the tenacity of our team. We never give up.”
Celeste Acosta pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless, 1-hit relief to boost her record to 9-4.
In the first game, Portese played catcher for the first time this year because Lauren Larabell had an illness. Thompson drove in a run in the second and Portese capped a four-run uprising with a double to left-center that gave SBCC a 5-2 lead.
The Vaqueros extended the margin to 7-3 in the third. Kylie Onstott got her second hit and scored on a wild pitch. Emilee Bachman was hit by a pitch, went to second and third on wild pitches and scored on an error.
Hancock tied it at 7 with a four-run sixth inning against starter Alyse Harris and Acosta. Ashley Spencer drove in the seventh run with a double.
Harris (8-9) returned to the circle in the seventh and pitched 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth. She gave up five runs on three hits in 7 1/3 innings. She struck out nine and walked three.
Tessa Underwood held the Vaqueros without a hit from the fourth through the seventh frames. Kiersty Briner opened the eighth with a bunt single, but was forced out at second on a grounder by Thompson. Briner was 4-for-5 on the day.
After a groundout for the second out, Crawford hit a short fly behind the first baseman and Spencer, the second baseman, made a diving try but the ball caromed off her glove, allowing Thompson to score the winning run.
“I wanted to come through for the team,” said Crawford, a freshman from San Marcos High. “I got a little lucky on that hit.”
The Vaqueros travel to Cuesta on Thursday for a 2:30 p.m. contest.
First Game (8 innings)
Hancock ……. 201 004 00 — 7 4 6
SBCC .…….… 142 000 01 — 8 8 1
Leake, Underwood (3) and Voss; Harris, Acosta (6), Harris (7) and Portese. W–Harris 8-9. L–Underwood 2-3.
2B–H: Spencer. SB: Portese.
Second Game
Hancock ……. 011 110 0 — 4 9 3
SBCC .…….… 200 004 x — 6 8 4
Underwood and Voss; Harris, Acosta (5) and Larabell. W–Acosta 9-4. L–Underwood 2-4.
2B–H: Spencer, Vargas, Perez. SB: Portese. HR–H: Voss (12), 5th inn., none on.
Records–AHC: 12-15, 5-6; SB: 17-13, 7-3.
