Big innings costly for Pirates
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College softball team dropped to 0-3 for the season after a 13-4, six-inning loss to visiting Chaffey College on Wednesday at the OCC Softball Complex.
The Pirates were their own worst enemy as four errors accounted for eight unearned runs in the loss.
Coast took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Katie Kendrick doubled to left and scored on an RBI-single to center by Kristen Nance.
It stayed that way until the top of the third, when a two-out dropped fly ball opened the flood gates for four unearned runs, putting Chaffey (1-0) out in front for good.
It was 5-1 when Coast fought back into the game in the bottom of the fourth. Nance and Alexis Ortega each singled to left to open the inning. A grounder by Michaela Rand was thrown away, allowing Nance to score to make it 5-2. Two batters later, Caitlyn Kelly chopped a single to center, scoring Ortega to make it 5-3.
From there, pitcher Jessica Morrow lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Rand to make it 5-4.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth before Chaffey blew the game open in the sixth. The Panthers used five hits, two OCC errors and three walks and turned them into eight runs, making it 13-4. Coast went quietly in the bottom of the sixth to end the game.
Jennifer DelMar went 4-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Panthers, while Lauren Avila added three hits, a run and three RBI. Allison Dunn (3-for-4, one run, two RBI) and Serena Romo (2-for-4, two runs, one RBI) also had multi-hit performances for Chaffey.
Nance led the Pirates' offense by going 3-for-3 with a run scored and one RBI.
The Pirates will return to action on Friday at home with a doubleheader against Southwestern, beginning at 1 p.m.
