Freshman left-hander Victoria Lucido pitched two innings for the Vaqueros.
Devon Rodriguez tossed a four-hitter and Karina Rosas drove in three runs on Saturday as Santa Ana spoiled the season opener for SBCC?s softball team with a 9-0 win at Pershing Park. The seven-inning game was called after five frames due to the eight-run mercy rule.
The Dons (2-1) took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning, thanks to six hits. The Vaqueros only had four baserunners for the day. The closest they came to scoring was in the bottom of the first when Alice Cen beat out an infield single with two outs. Danielle deCastro followed with a single to left-center but Cen was thrown out at the plate.
?The kids were pretty excited and we felt like we had prepared them but Santa Ana came out very aggressive,? said coach Paula Congleton. ?Our kids fell back on their heels and let that team dominate them. Once we went into our shells, we never came out.
?When our No. 1 hitter only gets two at-bats in a game, we?re not doing anything offensively. We told the girls they need to be more aggressive. Defensively, our pitchers were missing a lot of their spots. They?re both rookies and we have a little more work to do on the mound.?
Alexandra Abbott, who played on the women?s soccer team last fall, was the losing pitcher, giving up four runs on six hits in three innings. Santa Ana sent 10 more batters to the plate (28-18) and took advantage of three Vaquero errors.
The Vaqueros continue their four-game homestand on Tuesday when they host Bakersfield at 2:30 p.m.
