Emily Morici did it all for Dos Pueblos softball in a 10-0 mercy-rule win over Buena on Tuesday at Okinaka Field in Goleta.
Morici, a freshman, struck out 10 batters in the six-inning, complete-game shutout and went 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs.
“We are definitely on a hitting high right now. Thirty-two hits in two days is pretty amazing,” Dos Pueblos head coach Mike Gerken said. “We’ve been very relaxed at the plate and it shows. Zella Cassidy has been quite impressive the last few games with her approach. I think her teammates feed off of that and our results have been quite positive.
“Emily and catcher Kacey Hurley are getting more comfortable working together. Kacey calls a great game and Emily has been executing. 10 strikeouts is quite a feat in six innings and I think their relationship has quite a lot to do with that.”
Meanwhile, Anastasia Brunner went 3-for-4 and both Kacey Hurley and Zella Cassidy tallied two hits. Cassidy also drove in three runs.
A Cassidy RBI single in the first gave the Chargers a 1-0 lead, and Morici expanded that advantage to 4-0 in the third with a three-run home run.
Dos Pueblos was in complete control from there, scoring four more runs in the fourth and adding on two more in the bottom of the sixth, with Brooklyn Hedricks’ two-run double triggering the mercy rule and giving the Chargers (7-2, 3-0 Channel League) the win.
Rio Mesa 3, San Marcos 2 (F/8)
The Royals dropped their Channel League matchup with the Spartans in extra innings on Tuesday in Santa Barbara.
“I’m really proud of the girls for matching intensity and answering back inning after inning,” San Marcos head coach Emily Dietz said. “We did a good job today of focusing on the next out and not letting runners on base distract us from making the necessary plays.
“Overall, we’re moving forward to Friday and these other league matchups feeling positive. We’re proving to ourselves we can compete against talented teams and hang with them. There’s a lot more fun softball ahead of us this season.”
After three scoreless frames to begin the day, Rio Mesa opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the fourth.
San Marcos responded with two runs of its own in the bottom half as Solana Sandoval singled and Isa Malarkey blasted a two-run homer to tie the game at 2-2.
That score held until the top of the eighth, when Rio Mesa scored on a passed ball to go up 3-2. The Royals couldn’t answer in the bottom half, resulting in the loss.
Lucy Dessert had a strong day in the circle for San Marcos, allowing two earned runs on four hits while striking out three in the full eight innings.