Catalina Maldonado has a big smile on her face while rounding third base on a home-run trot in the fourth inning.
Catalina Maldonado connected for a two-run home run and Carmen Campi went 3-for-3 in Carpinteria’s CIF victory on Thursday, a 5-1 decision over visiting Bishop in a Division 6 game.
The first-round game was no cake-walk for the No. 3 seed Warriors.
Dakotah Wilcox, left, and Carmen Campi, right, hug teammate Catalina Maldonado as she crosses home plate following her home run.
“We didn’t think the team was gonna to be that good and I’m proud we didn’t get discouraged when we found out they were better,” Campi said.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when Maldonado blasted her home run to center field. Carpinteria scored three more runs in the next inning on three consecutive RBI singles.
Maldonado allowed just one unearned run in the top of the sixth while striking out six.
Bishop starting pitcher Kellie Tiner recorded eight strike outs. Katelyne Lent came through with two of the Broncos’ four hits and scored their only run.
Tiner kept the Warriors off-balance for the first three innings, allowing just one hit to the first 10 batters.
“She’s done a fantastic job for us all season,” said Broncos head coach Stacy Van Nest. “She pitched great. She was hitting her spots well today.”
The Warriors came into the game having won eight straight while averaging just under 10 runs a game during the streak.
Up 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, the Warriors added three more by scoring three times with two outs. Hannah Galsterer reached base on an infield single and scored from second base on a single from Erin Saito. Campi and Maldonado followed with RBI singles, scoring Saito and Campi.
Saito’s arm in right field came in handy for the Warriors on two occasions. The junior threw out two runners in the top of the sixth to nuetralize Bishop’s one threatening inning.
The Broncos’ Lent and Shiloh Smith Reynolds started the inning with hits. Then Tiara Shoshone laid down a bunt that Carpinteria misplayed with a throwing error. Lent came in to score, but instead of having a run in and two on base with nobody out, Saito backed up the bad throw to first base and threw out Smith-Reynolds making a wide turn at third base.
“I just went with my instinct,” Saito said. “The runner was already at home so I thought I might have had a shot getting the girl at third.”
Saito then charged a hard-hit ball into right field that looked like a sure hit. Saito fielded the ball and fired a strike to first base that beat the runner by half a step.
Carpinteria (19-5-1) advances to play in Tuesday’s second round. The Warriors will host Whitney at 3:15 p.m.
The Broncos finish their season 12-10.
LINESCORE
CARPINTERIA 5, BISHOP 1
BISHOP 000 001 0 – 1 4 0
CARPINTERIA 000 230 x – 5 8 2
B – Tiner, and Chandler. C – Maldonado, and Rodriguez.
Bishop's Katelyne Lent beats the throw to Warriors first baseman Tatiana Verdugo.
