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Saddleback College Athletics

Magic number down to one

Saddleback on the cusp of first conference title in 38 years

An action photograph from a college softball game. In the foreground, a Saddleback Bobcats player wearing a black helmet, white pinstriped jersey, and maroon pants is sprinting aggressively. In the mid-ground, a coach in a maroon shirt and black leggings is captured in a dynamic pose, pointing a finger to direct the runner.
Box Score
April 20, 2026

The Saddleback softball team defeated Santiago Canyon College, 10-1, in five innings on Monday in Orange.  The Bobcats are now one win away from clinching at least a share of the program's first conference title in 38 years.

Saddleback opened the week tied with Cypress atop the Orange Empire Conference and just wanted to win in order to keep pace with the Chargers in the standings.  The Bobcats did one better, taking the overall lead with a 10-1 win combined with a loss from Cypress.

Saddleback never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning and never relinquishing the lead.  Ka'ui Garcia drove in the first run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to score Mikayla Mendoza.  Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic followed with a double before Colette Howren reached on a defensive error, allowing Cifuentes-Zombulovic to come around to score the second run of the inning. 

Saddleback led 2-1 heading into the fourth inning when they created some space on the scoreboard.  The Bobcats scored four times in the inning to take a 6-1 lead.  The final runs of the inning came off the bat of Garcia, who doubled home both Mendoza and Millie Maher (pictured) for a 5-run advantage. 

Saddleback put the game away in the top half of the fifth inning when they scored four more times to blow the game wide open.  With two outs to start the inning, the Bobcats pieced together five straight hits to take a 10-1 lead.  The final hit was again by Garcia, who drove home Mendoza and Maher for a second straight time with a double down the left-field line. 

The 10 runs were plenty for Howren, who pitched a complete game in improving to 15-5 on the season.  Howren struck out six while spreading around five hits and walking none.

Garcia had a big day at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with five RBI.  Lola Winningham and Mendoza both reached base three times.  Winningham was 3-for-3 while Mendoza was 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs-scored.

Saddleback is now 26-12 overall and 14-5 in the Orange Empire Conference.  The Bobcats now have a one-game lead on both Cypress and Fullerton with two games remaining in the regular season.

GAME NOTES:  Ka'ui Garcia is now batting .544 in Orange Empire Conference play with two games remaining.  The highest batting average in program history in conference play was in 2015 when Jessica Angulo batted .551.

The last time Saddleback won a conference title was in 1988 when they finished 19-1 in Orange Empire Conference play and 38-6 overall.  The 1988 team lost in the state semifinals.