San Marcos softball’s offense woke up late en route to an 11-6 victory over Pacifica on Wednesday in Oxnard.
The Royals found themselves down 2-0 after the first three innings, but the Royals (5-10, 1-6 Channel League) poured on 11 runs across the final four frames to pull away for their first league victory.
The biggest blow of the game came in the top of the fourth when Gianna Mandarino blasted a grand slam over the center field wall to put San Marcos up for good.
The Royals continued to roll with four runs in the fifth and one in each of the sixth and seventh innings. The Tritons plated four runs in the sixth but it wasn’t enough as San Marcos earned the road win.
While Mandarino’s four RBIs led the Royals, Solana Sandoval, Reese Large and Jess Vega each collected three hits to lead a 19-hit onslaught. Isa Malarkey, Emilia Morales and Caroline Wang contributed two hits apiece.
Lucy Dessert went the distance in the circle for San Marcos, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight in her seven innings of work.
The Royals and Tritons will meet again on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Santa Barbara.
Dos Pueblos 8, Rio Mesa 7 (F/9)
The Chargers pulled out an extra-inning victory over the Spartans on Wednesday in Oxnard, handing Rio Mesa its first Channel League loss.
With the game tied at 4-4 in the top of the ninth, Dos Pueblos’ Kacey Hurley drove home a run to break the tie and Zella Cassidy followed that up with a bases-clearing triple to expand the lead to 8-4.
Cassidy’s big knock proved to be crucial as the Spartans plated three runs in the bottom half of the ninth, but Hurley threw out a runner attempting to steal to clinch the 8-7 win. Cassidy went 3-for-5 with five RBI.
“I can’t say enough about Zella’s performance today,” Charger head coach Mike Gerken said. “That’s a tough kid and she battled each at-bat against a very strong pitcher.
“Zella’s heroics don’t happen, however, without Vereniki (Maniadi) and Kylie (Pearce) getting on base. Kylie’s two-out hit was probably the most important of the game. She always seems to find a way.”
Earlier in the game, the Chargers got out to a hot start with three runs in the first two innings thanks to a trio of walks, an error and a two-run single by Cassidy to go up 3-0.
After Dos Pueblos starter Kaitlyn Ashby got through three scoreless, the Spartans got on the board in the fourth with a solo homer to cut the Charger lead to 3-1.
That score held until the top of the sixth when Anastasia Brunner roped a homer to left-center field to extend the lead to 4-1.
The Spartans got that run back in the bottom of the sixth and carried that momentum into the seventh, loading the bases and tying the game at 4-4 with one out.
Dos Pueblos then turned to Juliana Brunner in relief, who came in and registered two strikeouts to send the game into extra innings and set up the eventual victory.
“Kaitlyn Ashby pitched a great game and put us in position to win,” Gerken said. “For freshman Juliana Brunner to come in when we got in trouble in the seventh was huge. It’s a big ask for a 9th-grader to step in under a lot of pressure, but she delivered.
“Kacey Hurley proved once again that she is one of the best competitors in our league. First, she gets the go-ahead RBI in the 9th, then she guns out the runner at second to end the game. That’s a player, right there.”
The Chargers (9-8, 7-1 Channel League) will look to leapfrog the Spartans in the league standings with a rematch on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in Goleta.
Buena 9, Santa Barbara High 7
The Dons fell to the Bulldogs for the second time in as many days on Wednesday in Ventura.
“One more close game for SBHS,” Santa Barbara High head coach Julie Kittle said. “The girls came out swinging today. We were almost there. Each game we have players making huge improvements.”
Santa Barbara High broke the scoreless tie with three runs in the top of the second courtesy of a Buena error and a two-run double off the bat of Dayzia Mendoza.
After the Bulldogs answered with a run, a pair of run-scoring hits by Alanah Salas and Victoria Arellano extended the Dons’ lead to 5-1 heading into the bottom of the third.
However, the Buena offense woke up in the second half of the game with one run in the third and five in fourth to claim the lead at 7-5.
The Bulldogs scored again in the fifth on an error and a double to make it 8-5, but the Dons didn’t go away quietly in the sixth.
A trio of free passes and singles from Alina Magdaleno and Karman cut the deficit down to 8-7, but the Bulldogs added one in the bottom half and the Dons couldn’t push a run across in the seventh to suffer the loss.
Magadelano went 4-for-4 at the plate while Karman ended the day 3-for-4. Aleeya Zaragoza had two knocks and scored twice while Arellano drove home a pair.
Madison Benedict and Vienna Mochi split the Santa Barbara High pitching duties.
“Things are coming together,” Kittle said. “We have a great formula and are ready to get back out on the field. Madison and Vienna are doing a great job sharing the pitching duties.”
The Dons will host Bishop Diego in a non-league game on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.