Huge Five-Run Fifth Seals Huskies First Home Win

by Cerwin D Haynes

Having recently suffered back to back home blowout losses, the East Los Angeles College softball squad not only looked to finally score a victory on their home field, but steady the course of their still-early season. Welcoming the Rustlers of Golden West College - a program whom, despite ther 2-1 start to the season, has struggled inrecent seasons - provided the Huskies with a shot for that elusive win. 

With the game tied at three in the bottom of the fourth inning, ELAC landed a shot - a big one. 3B Lily Stell, facing Rustlers' starting pitcher Lali Rios with one out and no one on, lifted a high fly ball into left field that hung up just long enough to clear the outstretched glove of LF Natalie Rodriguez and the fence. The solo bomb gave the Huskies a 4-3 lead.

Moving ahead to the bottom of the fifth, the Pack would score big - a five-run inning with all five scored with two outs. With Huskies on first and third, Lauren Tate - who had relieved starting pitcher Serena Lopez in the fourth - stepped to the plate to help her own cause. And she succeeded, ripping an RBI double to bring home Evelyn Acala from third. Stell came up next, and with her solo shot still clearly in the minds of Golden West, she was intentionally walked to load the bases. GW hoped to evade Stell's bat and induce a forceout at any of the bases, but Chasity Martinez slashed down that plan by slashing a 2RBI single to left field (she and Stell would advance to second and third on the throw back to the infield). Priscilla Hernandez was up next, and she singled to left field which drove in Martinez and Stell. 

Tate would pitch a scoreless sixth and seventh to secure her first win of the season (1-0). The Huskies improved to 5-5 while the Rustlers fell to 2-2.

HUSKY BITS:

• Tate would get her first win of the season as the team celebrated her birthday after the game. She pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, giving up only one hit while fanning two.
• Hernandez went 3-4 with 3RBI.
• Monique Davila and Chasity Martinez each had two hits in three at-bats. Martinez added 2RBI on the day.

UP NEXT

East LA heads up to Pasadena City College this Thursday to face the Lancers, which will begin the South Coast Conference portion of their schedule.