Solid effort by Pirates comes up just short against Hawks
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santiago Canyon | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College softball team gave defending state champion Santiago Canyon plenty to handle on Friday, but in the end, the Pirates came up just short and lost, 11-8.
The Pirates (3-12, 1-6 in Orange Empire Conference) did their best to hold one of the hottest-hitting teams in the state in check. But the Hawks (13-3-1, 6-1), who entered the game with a .471 team batting average, used a four-run third inning and a five-run sixth to provide the majority of their damage. In fact, SCC notched 14 hits in 32 at-bats and saw its team batting average FALL to .469.
Emili Olague, who went 4-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, ripped a solo home run in the top of the first to put the Hawks up, 1-0.
OCC quickly answered back when Jenna Hernandez (2-for-3, two runs, one RBI) singled and came around to score on a two-run home run by Cayla Ezelle (2-for-4, one run, three RBI), putting the Pirates in front, 2-1.
After SCC put up four runs in the third to go ahead 5-2, Coast picked up single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to get to within one. In the fourth, Linnea Donahugh (2-for-3, one run, one RBI) drove in Nala Osorio (2-for-4, one run, one RBI) with an RBI-single and in the fifth, Osorio used an RBI-single of her own to plate Hernandez.
Back-to-back two-run singles by Alyssa Sojka and Amber Elliott highlighted SCC's five-run sixth and it appeared that the Hawks would breeze from there, leading 10-4.
Olague came in to pitch for the Hawks in the bottom of the sixth and struggled with her control, walking four batters for one run before being lifted for Kristen Piazza. Briana Covarrubias greeted the new SCC pitcher with an RBI-single to right and Ezelle followed with an RBI-single to center to make it 10-7.
Piazza worked her way out of the quagmire as the Hawks turned a 3-2-3 double play to end the inning.
After SCC added a run in the seventh to make it 11-7, Coast scored a run and had the tying run at the plate, but Piazza ended things with a strikeout to earn her third save of the season.
