Still Rolling

Glendora, CA -- The Citrus College Softball team took the previous eight days off of competition before hosting both Cuesta College and Long Beach City College on Friday night. The break didn't matter as the Owls were still rolling with two more mercy rule wins, defeating Cuesta 9-0 in five and Long Beach 12-4 in six.

The Owls opened things up against the Cougars on Friday, loosening Cuesta up for a single score in the bottom of the first inning when freshman Valerie Velasquez scored on a wild pitch. Citrus' offense didn't really start firing though until the bottom of the third when they dropped a six spot on the Cougars.

Sophomore Erinn Jaramillo got things going with a solo home run. Sophomore Bobbie Stalnaker would drive in a pair via an double to left-center field, only to see herself score not much later when sophomore Kiana "Kalei" Guillermo drove her in with a single to center field. Velasquez would get in on the action as well, as she closed out the scoring streak with a two-RBI single to right field that scored Guillermo and freshman Kaitlyn Garza.

The Owls picked things back up in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore Sandra "Gaby" Vera made her Citrus debut with a RBI single back up the middle of the field, driving in freshman Jessica Brown. Guillermo would strike again shortly thereafter, driving the ball back up the middle of the field to score Stalnaker to make it 9-0.

The offense gave her all the help she needed, but as it turned out, freshman Anissa Gallegos didn't need all that much help. Gallegos went all five innings, allowing just four hits and no walks to the Cougars, while striking out five batters and improving to 3-2 on the season.

A few hours later, Citrus kept things going against the Vikings. The Owls would come out swinging scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman Jessica Brown did the brunt of the damage with a three run home run, while sophomore Megan Troutman stroked a double to right-center that made it 4-0.

Long Beach would come back with a single score in the top of the second, but the Owls answered it back when Jaramillo hit her second solo shot of the day. The Vikings briefly made it a game, when they got a three-run home run of their own in the top of the fourth to make it 4-5, but the Owls never panicked at the plate, as they came back with four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

In the fifth, Guillermo picked up her third RBI of the day with an RBI single. A few pitches later, Garza made it 9-4 when she lifted the ball over the center field fence with a three run bomb. In the bottom of the sixth, it was Troutman who would send Long Beach home early, hitting Citrus' third three run home run of the game, this one to left-center field to put the game at 12-4.

Gallegos would add another win to her name thanks to four innings of solid work in the circle, while freshman Autumn Bartholomy came in and earned her first save of the season. Bartholomy shut down the Vikings in the final two innings of play giving up no runs, two hits, one walk, while striking out a Viking batter.

With the two wins, Citrus improves to 5-2 on the year. The Owls will hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to Rio Hondo College on Tuesday for a 2:30 PM showdown with the Roadrunners.