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Saddleback College Athletics

Cats blow out Pirates to keep pace

Saddleback still tied for first place with three games remaining

This image depicts a collegiate softball game between Orange Coast College (OCC) and Saddleback College (SC). The composition captures a dynamic action shot at home plate during a bright, sunny day.
image c/o Ben Kokkelenberg
Box Score
April 17, 2026

The Saddleback softball team defeated Orange Coast College, 13-1, on Friday afternoon at Bobcats Field.  The Bobcats are tied for first place with three games remaining in the regular season.

Saddleback is trying to win a conference title for the first time since 1988.  The first order of business was winning a series with Orange Coast, who tied the series at 1-1 on Thursday.  Saddleback achieved the first order of business with a dominating performance on Friday.

Saddleback scored nine runs in the opening inning of the game, sending 13 batters to the plate.  Ka'ui Garcia had two hits in the inning, capping off the scoring with a bases-clearing double to right center field to open up a 9-0 lead.  The Bobcats had six hits and three walks in the biggest inning since scoring 10 against Chaffey last season on February 21, 2025. 

Saddleback had it on cruise control the rest of the game with Colette Howren on the mound.  Howren spread around five hits over five innings while improving to 14-5 on the season.

Saddleback scored three more times in the bottom half of the third inning to increase the lead to 12-1.  The Bobcats scored all three runs unearned as Millie Maher reached on an error and then Garcia and Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic had back-to-back singles to start the rally.  Tiffany Gonzalez brought the fans to their feet with a pinch-hit single down the left field line to score Garcia with the final run of the inning.

Saddleback tacked on one more run in the bottom half of the fourth inning for a 13-1 advantage.  Millie Maher tripled to the right-center field gap and had to hit the brakes at third base with ideas of scoring.  She was later brought home on a sacrifice fly by Garcia.

Garcia finished 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs-scored to lead the offense.  She is now batting .538 in conference play with three games remaining.  It was her seventh game of the season with three-or-more hits.

Saddleback is now 25-12 overall and 13-5 in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) play.  The Bobcats are tied with Cypress College atop the OEC standings with three games remaining. 

Saddleback will play Santiago Canyon College in the final series of the regular season.  The Bobcats will travel to Santiago Canyon on both Monday and Tuesday before hosting the Hawks on Thursday in the final game of the regular season.