Owls Split With Bulldogs

Citrus College grabbed a 6-3 victory over Allan Hancock but fell 9-8 in the nightcap to settle for a split.

The Owls move to 6-4 on the year with the results, while the Bulldogs sit at 3-7 overall.

In the opener, Citrus finished with 10 hits as a team and was led by Leah Morales (2-for-4), Mariah Ruiz (2-for-3) and Samantha Meyndert (2-for-3), while Kylie Ruiz, Madelyn Hajj, Desiree Loza and Rylee Praytor also had hits for the Owls.

The visitors scored in their first chance at the plate after Ruiz knocked a two-out double to score Hajj from first.

Allan Hancock answered back with runs in the bottom of the first and second, but Citrus evened things up in the fourth before taking back the lead in the fifth.

With bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fifth, Meyndert doubled to send all three homers home and put the Owls in front 5-2. Tatyanna Campos then sealed the win by coming home on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Meyndert picked up the win in the circle for the Owls, while Serena Rodriguez grabbed her first collegiate save.

In the second game, Citrus saw Morales (2-for-3), Jasani Zavalza (2-for-4), Meyndert (2-for-2), Praytor (2-for-4), and Torie Brewer post have multiple hits, while Mariah Ruiz (1-for-4), Caitlin Kelley (1-for-2) and Kylie Ruiz (a-for-3) also had hits in the game.

The Owls opened with three runs in the top of the first, but the Bulldogs plated two runs in both the second and third to take the lead.

Citrus had another big inning with three runs in the fourth off an RBI single from Kylie Ruiz and two RBIs from Zavalza.

Allan Hancock took back the lead in the bottom of the sixth, putting pressure on Citrus to score at least two runs in the top of the seventh to keep the game going. The Owls could only get one, however, as the Bulldogs held on for the 9-8 win.

The Owls continue on the road as they head to El Camino College on Tuesday for a 2:30 p.m. contest., weather permitting.