SBCC played a pair of five-inning softball games on Saturday with divergent results at Ventura College.
The Vaqueros, ranked No. 10 in Southern Cal, dropped a 14-6 decision to No. 1-ranked Santiago Canyon, then routed San Diego Mesa 16-5. The Vaqueros improved to 8-4 and snapped the 10-game win streak of the Olympians (13-4).
The first game was tied 6-6 after three innings, then the Hawks (13-2) scored a run in the fourth. They tallied seven more in the fifth, including three-run homers by Brittney Howe and Emili Olague. The game is called when a team is ahead by eight runs after five innings.
Maggie Jo Jackson went 2-2 in the first game and Monica Salas had a two-run double in the second inning.
Salas went 3-3 with four RBIs and four runs in the second game, as the Vaqueros built an 11-2 lead after three innings. Christal Vierra was 2-3 with a double, a walk and three RBIs.
Rebecca Pullen pitched both ends of the doubleheader, relieving McNamee after three batters in the first game due to an injury. Pullen held Mesa to seven hits.
"We did a good job of bouncing back from the first-game loss," said assistant coach Justine Bosio. "We were patient at the plate and took advantage of the opportunities they gave us."
The Vaqueros collected nine hits and benefitted from 13 walks by three Mesa pitchers.
SBCC continues its 12-game road trip next weekend with five games in the Golden West Tournament, starting on Friday vs. Antelope Valley (9 a.m.) and East Los Angeles (11 a.m.).
