Pirates double-up Dons, 4-2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
|
Santa Ana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
SANTA ANA -- The Orange Coast College softball team used a three-run fifth inning to pull away from host Santa Ana en route to a 4-2 Orange Empire Conference win over the Dons on Wednesday afternoon.
Ariana Williams went 2-for-3 and delivered the big blow in OCC's three-run fifth with a two-run single that gave the Pirates (4-7, 2-2 in the OEC) for good. Emilie Lapena went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI, while pitcher Ashlee Kean (2-2) went the distance and held the Dons (7-9, 3-2) to two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out six.
Coast grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Taylor Nguyen singled, stole second and scored on an RBI-double to left-center off the bat of Lapena.
The Dons pieced together a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead, but OCC responded quickly with three runs in the top of the fifth.
Taylor Andolsek led things off with a double to left-center and scored two batters later on an RBI-single by Lapena to even the score at 2-2. Natalie Lauthers moved Lapena to third with a single down the right-field line and both Pirates would eventually score on Williams' one-out single to left-center, putting the Pirates up, 4-2.
The Dons' best chance to even things up came in the bottom of the fifth when they loaded the bases with two singles and an OCC error, but Kean picked up her teammates and retired the next batter on a fly ball to right to end the threat.
Kean then went to work and retired six of the next seven batters she faced to help preserve the win for the Pirates.
Coast will return to action on Thursday at Glendale College, beginning at 2 p.m. before returning to the OCC Softball Complex -- weather permitting -- to host Riverside City College, beginning at 2 p.m.
