By Jimmy Friery
SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara City College Softball team lost an extra-innings conference game to Moorpark on Thursday, 4-3.
It is the second straight 1-run loss for the Vaqueros, who now sit 3-2 in conference play.
Miscues hurt the Vaqueros early. Moorpark snuck a run across in the top of the 1st via a passed ball—for a runner who reached base via an error. In the bottom half of the frame, Mia Reveles led off with a double and stole third, but a groundout and a lineout double play subdued the threat.
In the 3rd, after 2 quick outs, a walk put a baserunner on. The next batter tripled just over the reach of right fielder Anaya Sutcliffe to make it 2-0 Moorpark. Another run would score shortly after on a wild pitch, and suddenly SBCC's deficit was 3.
However, the Vaqueros answered in the bottom of the frame. Julianna Ortiz and Alexia Ayala lead off with back-to-back singles, and the red-hot Mia Reveles drove both of them home with a double. Reveles ended the day with a .500 batting average (second in conference) and .576 on-base percentage. Gracie Verdugo later drove her home on an RBI groundout to tie the game, 3-3. Verdugo and Reveles each have 30 RBIs, tied for second in the conference.
That would be most of the offense for either team for a while, as the Vaqueros went hitless and Moorpark mustered just 1 hit in innings 4 through 7.
Danielle Bishop, who had the RBI triple for Moorpark in the 3rd, led off the 8th with a single. She stole second and quickly advanced to third on a wild pitch. The next batter grounded out to third, but Bishop ran home, after being looked back, on the throw to first. She slid just ahead of the tag to give Moorpark a 4-3 advantage in extras.
Similarly, Mia Reveles led off the bottom of the 8th with a single up the middle. SBCC was aggressive, and Reveles stole second and third for her 21st and 22nd swipes of the season (first in conference). Unfortunately, 2 popouts and flyout failed to bring her home, and the Vaqueros left the tying run stranded at third with nobody out. Final: 4-3 Moorpark.
Alena Johnson pitched a gem, really just a few inches away from 8 scoreless innings. Her final line reads 8 innings, 3 earned runs, just 4 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts.
The Vaqueros actually outhit Moorpark in the pitchers' duel, 5 hits to 4. Mia Reveles had 3 of the 5, with the aforementioned 2-RBI double and 3 stolen bases.
SBCC looks to rebound from consecutive 1-run defeats at conference foe Oxnard on Tuesday at 2:30 PM.
