Slow start derails Cats in opener
Saddleback to play San Diego Mesa on Friday
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
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1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 10 | 2 |
The Saddleback softball team came up short, 6-2, in their opening game of the 3C2A State Tournament at Bakersfield College on Thursday. The Bobcats will play San Diego Mesa College tomorrow at 11:00 AM at Cal State Bakersfield.
Saddleback had a slow start as San Mateo grabbed a 6-0 lead after the first three innings. San Mateo scored one run in the opening inning and then four more times in the second inning in taking a solid lead. The big blow was a two-run homer from Nia Mapa to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 advantage.
Saddleback finally responded in the top half of the fourth inning when it scored a pair of runs to give them some life. The Bobcats had three straight singles to start the inning from Mikayla Mendoza, Ka'ui Garcia and Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic in cutting the deficit to 6-2.
Unfortunately, Saddleback's bats could piece together enough hits to get any closer as the two teams went scoreless in the final 2.5 innings of play.
Saddleback started Colette Howren on the mound and she was pulled in the third inning after giving up a homer to start the inning and a single to the next batter. The Bobcats went to Kylee Cammarato out of the bullpen, who shut down San Mateo the rest of the way to give Saddleback a chance.
Saddleback finished with five hits for the game. Cifuentes-Zombulovic led the Bobcats with two hits.
Saddleback is now 32-14 overall following the loss. The Bobcats will play San Diego Mesa College in the loser's bracket tomorrow at Cal State Bakersfield at 11:00 AM. Mesa gave up five runs in the top half of the seventh inning in losing to Cosumnes River College, 7-3, in the opening game of the tournament. The winner of the game between Saddleback and San Diego Mesa would play again at 5:00 PM at Bakersfield College in an elimination game.
San Mateo improved to 42-1 with the win and will play Cosumnes River tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM at Bakersfield College.