Hailee Rios belted a grand slam to highlight a nine-run third inning, and San Marcos won its third straight softball game, beating St. Joseph 9-1 on Thursday.
Aliyah Huerta-Leipner went the distance on the mound and struck out 10 and didn’t allow an earned run.
The Royals sent 12 batters to the plate in the third, Rios started the winning with a single. Alana Ochoa was hit by a pitch and next four hitters each singled – Hailey Fryklund, Megan Cunnison, Aibhlin Ryan (base hit bunt) and Alex Pitchford, — for a 3-1 lead. After an RBI ground out by Lauren Pitchford, Huerta-Leipner was hit by a pitch. Cara Christian followed with a single to load the bases and Rios ended the scoring with a grand slam.
Rios and Alex Pitchford each had two hits.
San Marcos plays Saturday against Simi Valley in the Suzanne Manlet Tournament in Simi Valley.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.