Pirates capture home opener over Glendale, 7-1

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College softball team doesn't have too many home contests throughout the month of February, so it was important to make the home opener count in the Pirates' favor. Mission accomplished as Coast topped Glendale, 7-1, on Tuesday at the OCC Softball Complex.

Five different Pirate sluggers -- Taylor Andolsek, Emilie Lapena, Amaya White, Hailey Pichardo, and Nadia Perez -- each had two hits as the Coast batters came through with 12 hits total. White and Picardo each collected two RBI as well, while Andolsek and Lapena each scored twice for Coast (2-2). 

That offensive support was more than enough for the pitching duo of Lindsay Manhart and Ashlee Kean, who held the Vaqueros (1-3) to just one run on six hits. Manhart picked up the win with four scoreless innings, allowing four hits, a walk and four strikeouts. Kean picked up the save with three strong innings, allowing just one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. 

Coast didn't take long to grab hold of the lead against Glendale pitcher Sierra Ruvlacaba. Pichardo ripped a wind-aided, two-run double that started towards left-center and ended up near the foul line. Perez followed with a run-scoring double and she scored on an RBI-single to right off the bat of Gillian Gordan.

Ruvlacaba settled down and kept the Pirates at bay, while Manhart wiggled out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the top of the third and kept the Vaqueros off the scoreboard.

Glendale scored its lone run in the top of the sixth, but OCC answered that mini-rally with a three-run sixth of its own. With two on and one out, White lined a two-run triple to right-center and she would eventually score on a run-scoring grounder off the bat of Julia Douglass. 

Coast will now take to the road for the next seven games, starting with a doubleheader at Southwestern College on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. OCC's next home game will take place on Friday, Feb. 25 against Golden West, beginning at 2 p.m.