Softball Gets Win at Santa Ana College

Citrus College pulled off a thrilling seventh-inning comeback to secure a 5-4 road win over Santa Ana College last Friday, March 14th.

The Owls improved their record to 9-12 overall and 3-0 mark in conference play, while Santa Ana dropped to 7-12 overall and 0-2 in conference games.

Santa Ana jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, scoring two runs in the first inning and another in the third.

Citrus began their comeback in the top of the fourth inning when Caitlin Kelley hit an RBI double to score Rylee Praytor, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Owls tied the game in the fifth inning, Sofia Femath crushed her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field, making it 3-2. Later in the inning, Rylee Praytor hit an RBI single to score Alivia Martinez, tying the game at 3-3.

Santa Ana regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth to go up 4-3.

In the top of the seventh, Citrus staged a clutch rally which started with Rylee Praytor scoring the tying run on a bases-loaded wild pitch. Aalijah Aranda followed with an RBI single to bring home Eliana Lopez, giving Citrus a 5-4 lead.

Caitlin Kelley (W, 6-8) sealed the victory with a perfect 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to close out the game.

Standout Performances

• Rylee Praytor: 3-for-3, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 1 walk
• Sofia Femath: 3-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 run (solo HR)
• Aalijah Aranda: 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base
• Caitlin Kelley: 5 innings pitched, 2 strikeouts, 1 hit allowed; 1-for-2 at the plate with 1 RBI and 1 walk

The Owls will return home to host Bakersfield College tomorrow, Tuesday, March 18th, at 2:30 p.m. in a key conference matchup.