Pirates play hard, but fall late to Tigers
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 2 |
|
Orange Coast | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College softball team pushed visiting Riverside City College to the limit, but in the end, the Pirates came up a run short in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Tigers, in the Orange Empire Conference opener for both teams.
RCC (4-2, 1-0) took advantage of some erratic OCC pitching as the Pirates walked eight batters, with six of those free passes coming around to score. Tiger shortstop Danielle Lopez was the main benefactor, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, including a bases-clearing double in the top of the sixth that put Riverside ahead for good.
After falling behind 4-1, Coast (1-5, 0-1) battled back with a run in the second, two runs in the third and a run in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
Ariel Fernandez led off the bottom of the second with a hit-by-pitch, stole second, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Gretchen Hom and scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.
Coast loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the third with singles by Taylor Gallo and Christina Freeman and a HBP by Cayla Ezelle. Anna Marin moved all runners up with an RBI-grounder to second and Linnea Donahugh tied the game up with an RBI-single to left.
In the bottom of the fifth, OCC grabbed a 5-4 lead when Marin walked, pinch-runner Taylor Caldwell went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Donahugh, moved to third on a RCC fielding error and scored on an RBI-ground out by Hom.
But the Tigers remained patient at the plate and after three walks loaded the bases, Lopez lined a double off the base of the centerfield fence, to put the Tigers up, 7-5.
Coast got to within a run in the bottom of the seventh when Marin ripped a leadoff home run to left-center, but the Tigers held on for the win.
The Pirates will return to the OCC Softball Complex on Saturday morning against Pasadena City College, beginning at 11 a.m.
