Vaqueros overwhelm L.A. Pierce with five homers, 49 runs

SBCC turned the last day of February into "hitters' delight" on Tuesday as the Vaqueros racked up five homers, 11 doubles and 49 runs in a WSC North softball sweep of L.A. Pierce. The scores were 24-2 and 25-0 at Pershing Park and both games ended after five innings due to the eight-run rule.

The Vaqueros, ranked No. 10 in Southern Cal, improved to 9-2 and 4-0 in conference. Pierce fell to 0-8 and 0-3.

First baseman Madison McNamee led the hit parade, going 5-for-5 with a three-run homer and five RBIs in the first game and belting a grand slam to left field in the first inning of Game 2. She was 6-6 on the day with two homers, two doubles and nine RBIs.

"I was definitely looking for one pitch," said McNamee, a sophomore pitcher/first baseman from Cabrillo High in Lompoc. "That's what I did today and that's how I got those hits. I was adjusting and making sure I could see that pitch and letting the other pitches go.

"As a team, we were doing what we're supposed to do and executing the fundamentals. My back still hurts a little bit but we're working on it every day."

McNamee is batting .600 for the season with a whopping 1.267 slugging percentage.

SBCC scored in all eight innings that it batted, taking a 5-0 lead after one inning of the opener and 6-0 in the second game. Leading 11-2 after three innings of Game 1, the Vaqueros sent 17 batters to the plate in the fourth and they piled up 13 runs on 10 hits to expand the lead to 24-2.

Freshman Alyssa Richter had a big day, going 3-3 with six RBIs and a two-run homer in the first game. Second baseman Monica Salas was 3-5 with four RBIs and two doubles in the opener. The former Dos Pueblos High standout was 2-3 with four RBIs and a two-run homer in the nightcap. For the day, Salas reached base in all 10 at-bats and scored nine runs. She was 5-8 with her second homer of the year, two doubles and eight RBIs.

Richter is batting .500 for the season with 21 RBIs (No. 6 in the state) and a .947 slugging percentage. Salas is hitting .457 with 13 RBIs and an .800 slugging percentage.

"We knew Aly was a gem when we were recruiting her last year," said Vaquero coach Paula Congleton. "I saw her last year at a tournament and we've been keeping our eye on her since she was a junior (in Brighton, Colo.). We're really fortunate to get her. She's the kind of impact player who's really changing our season. She's doing a phenomenal job as a freshman."

Richter has just one error in 43 chances at shortstop.

Salas, Richter and McNamee, the 3-4-5 hitters, combined to go 11-for-13 in the first game with two homers, five doubles, 10 runs and 15 RBIs. SBCC piled up 41 hits in the doubleheader and batted .631 for the day. The Vaqueros received 17 free passes on 16 walks and a hit batter.

Sydney Townes was 2-4 with three runs, two RBIs and four stolen bases in the first game. Connie Towne went 2-3 with a two-run homer in the third.

Isabella Gregson started the opener in the circle and went two innings, giving up two runs on three hits. Calista Wendell got her second save with three innings of no-hit relief.

The Vaqueros have outscored their nine opponents 115-28. They rank fourth in the State, averaging 10.5 runs a game.

Rebecca Pullen tossed a one-hitter in the nightcap, facing just two over the minimum. She walked Lupe Martinez in the fourth and Maria Palacios followed with a single to left.

"The kids stayed focused and did what they needed to do at the plate," said Congleton. "What did we have, five homers today? We hit the ball really well. We kept our focus and this gives us some good energy for Thursday's game."

SBCC opens a 10-game road trip on Thursday with a WSC North game at Moorpark at 2:30 p.m. They'll play three this weekend, traveling to Long Beach on Saturday at 1 p.m. and then taking on Pasadena City (11 a.m.) and Southwestern (1 p.m.) on Sunday at Pasadena City College.