The Santa Barbara High softball team’s bats were hot for a non-league matchup against Carpinteria, cruising to a 22-6 rout of the Warriors on Thursday in Santa Barbara.
The Dons (1-1) collected 15 total hits, scored eight runs in the second and poured on 11 runs in the third to run away with their first victory of the young season. Carpinteria fell to 0-2 with the loss.
“Today we had four injured players and a missing player out of town, and I love that it was a team effort,” Santa Barbara High head coach Julie Kittle said. “Everybody stepped in and did what they needed to do and it was great.
“We’re the underdog, I mean we won five games last year. We’re going to surprise some people this year and this right here shows us, the players and the coaches, that we can compete with anybody.”
Madison Benedict got the starting nod for the Dons and worked around a pair of baserunners in the top of the first to set the Warriors down scoreless.
In the bottom half, Aleeya Zaragoza roped a double into left field and Vienna Mochi followed that up with a walk to put the Santa Barbara offense in business. After a popout, Janet Perez came through with a hard-hit ball to the left side that was bobbled, allowing the Dons to score the game’s first run and go up 1-0.
Carpinteria starter Alondra Carillo got out of the jam with just one run allowed, but Benedict made quick work of the Warrior offense in the top of the second, setting them down in order while striking out two.
“Madison wasn’t supposed to start today and she came in and shut it down,” Kittle said. “She had her change-up working today.”
The Santa Barbara High offense then exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the second to race out to a commanding 9-0 lead.
The rally began with a pair of walks and an infield single by Zaragoza, setting up a two-run single off the bat of Mochi to extend the lead to 3-0.
After a batter was hit by a pitch, Carillo tallied a strikeout for the second out of the inning. However, the pitch got away from the Carpinteria catcher and a throwing error allowed two more runs to score.
Benedict then helped herself on the offensive end with an RBI single down the left-field line before Dayzia Mendoza rounded out the scoring with the biggest blow of the game, roping a line drive into right-center field and racing all the way home for an inside-the-park three-run homer and a 9-0 lead.
Mendoza had a big day at the plate for the Dons, going 3-for-4 with six RBI to lead the potent offense.
“This is Dayzia Mendoza’s second game playing softball,” Kittle said. “We’ve been working with her and I told her you’re going to get a hold of one and then your muscle memory is going to come back and that was it.
“She got the game ball today… You can’t coach athleticism and she is just a pure athlete.”
The Warriors didn’t roll over, however, as Cecilia Lemus roped a two-run double into right-center in the top of the third to score Jackie Garcia and Anaia Nunez, who reached on free passes.
Lemus came around to score after stealing third base and crossing home following an error to cut the deficit to 9-3.
Carpinteria got another two-run double later in the inning courtesy of Delilah Santizo, whose double to left field scored Sophia Santana and Paola Torres to cut the Dons’ lead to 9-5 heading into the bottom of the third.
However, the Santa Barbara High offense put the game to bed with an 11-run third inning to pull away and balloon the lead out to 20-5.
The scoring began with a pair of run-scoring singles by Mochi and Perez as Mochi drove home one and Mochi scored a pair to extend the advantage to 12-5.
The dropped third strike then came back to haunt the Warriors again, as the Dons tacked on two more to go up 14-5 after the ball reached the backstop and Carpinteria committed an error.
Back-to-back RBI base knocks from Mendoza and Bea Southern grew the lead out to 16-5 before two runs scored on an error and Ava Karman and Perez capped off the scoring with RBI singles into left field.
Carpinteria pushed a run across in the top of the fourth on an RBI single off the bat of Santana, but Mochi limited the damage to one run.
The Dons then rounded out their scoring in the bottom of the fourth when Mendoza put a cherry on top of her strong day at the plate with a two-run single through the left side of the infield.
Mochi put the finishing touches on the victory by striking out the side in the top of the fifth, clinching the mercy-rule win. She ended with one earned run across 2 ⅓ innings of work while striking out five.
“She came in and just shut them down, it was great,” Kittle said of Mochi. “She’s a power pitcher, hands down.”
Santa Barbara High will host Channel Islands on Saturday while the Warriors will be back in action on the road against Santa Paula on Tuesday.