SANTA BARBARA – The SBCC softball team had one of its best offensive days of the year, scoring 18 runs in Friday's doubleheader at Pershing Park, defeating LA Harbor 8-3 and 10-9.
GAME ONE
The Vaqueros never trailed in the first game of the day, as they put up four runs over the first two innings and never looked back.
SBCC didn't need a hit in the bottom of the first to open the scoring. Catcher Naveah Freitas and pitcher Lauren Indermuehle opened their days with walks on the first two at bats. Two separate wild pitches would send Freitas home from second to put the Vaqueros up 1-0.
After LA Harbor tied the game with a run in the second, the Vaqueros quickly answered. Freitas hit a two-run single, scoring runs by Linnéa Sandahi and Mckinnzie Grossini, both of whom singled to begin the inning. Freitas later scored on yet another wild pitch to make it 4-1.
Left fielder Sarah Hammonds hit a triple in the bottom of the third and would score on an RBI fielder's choice by Grossini. The following inning, Indermuehle made it 6-2 after stealing second and scoring on an LA Harbor error.
The Vaqueros got their final two runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Indermuehle tied Freitas for team-high honors with her second run on another error. Hammonds hit an RBI single to bring home Natalie Depasquale, giving SBCC its largest lead of the day, 8-2.
The defense finished things off from there, giving up just one more run in the top of the seventh. Indermuehle earned her second win of the year after tossing all seven innings and striking out four batters.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day was a shootout that went down to the last at bat, as both teams finished with 13 hits. It was SBCC's highest hit total in its last 12 games and second-highest of the season.
Freitas continued her big day with a game-high four hits to go along with two RBI. She had two of SBCC's four doubles.
Hammonds split time in center field and at pitcher, going for three hits, three RBI and a save.
The Vaqueros took a 3-1 lead through two innings. Depasquale scored on an RBI single to center field by Hammonds in the first. In the second, Melanie Barth hit a double down the left field line to score a run from Jade Leoffler. Barth then put up a run herself on a Freitas double, making it 3-1.
After giving up five runs in the top of the third, Santa Barbara struck right back with one of its best offensive innings of the year, scoring seven runs on six hits. Hammonds hit a double to bring in a run from Depasquale. She was the first of four batters with an RBI in the third, as Paige Powell, Leoffler, Freitas, and Indermuehle all joined her. The Vaqueros made it all the way back around the lineup for another RBI hit from Hammonds.
LA Harbor made it interesting with three unanswered runs before heading into the top of the seventh down 10-9. However, the visitors were held to just one hit, as the tying run was left on second base by the time the final out was put away.
Powell got the win at pitcher after giving up three hits and two runs in 2.2 innings.
NEXT UP
SBCC returns to the road next week for its conference opener at Oxnard on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
