Warriors Drop Tight Contest to Pasadena

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College dropped a 5-3 South Coast Conference decision to visiting Pasadena on Wednesday afternoon at the ECC Softball Field.

The game, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 23 but was moved due to inclement weather, was a showcase of two of the top teams in the conference. The teams traded the lead in consecutive at-bats and the pitching was solid but the Lancers (10-4, 4-0) were able to capitalize on some good base running and four Warriors (9-4, 1-1) errors to take the win.

The scoring opened in the third inning when Marcella Ordonez hit a one-out double to left. She would advance to third on a groundout to short, waiting for the throw by the Warriors' Viviana Tamayo before taking off for third. She made it safely and then scored easily on an RBI single from Danielle Ruiz to put Pasadena up 1-0.

In the fourth, the Lancers caught a break when Gabi Perez reached to lead off the inning on a throwing error by Tamayo. Two groundouts later, Perez was at third and would score on an RBI infield single by Breanna Rodriguez to put the Lancers ahead 2-0.

The Warriors' offense would respond in their half of the frame as Destiny Ostorga led off by also reaching on a throwing error.

Sarah Leyba pinch ran and then the Warriors had runners on first and second after an infield single by Tamayo. Leesa Parral sacrificed both runners over and then Leyba scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Malia Martin with Tamayo getting erased at third.

Martin would steal second and that proved important as Emily Esparza singled to left to bring in Martin and tie things up at 2-2.

Pinch-hitter Ashley Salas was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with two outs. Alyssa Lujan would then put ECC out in front with a single up the middle, scoring pinch-runner Josie Madera to make it 3-2. But on the same play, Lujan tried to go for second base and was caught halfway to the base. The Warriors left-fielder tried to avoid the out by getting in a pickle but she was tagged out before the second runner could come across the plate.

The lead was short-lived for ECC though as the Lancers would score three runs of their own in the fifth inning to take back the lead for good. The first two batters reached for the Lancers on a walk and a fielder's choice grounder to short. No out was recorded as Danielle Ruiz beat the throw to second base. A sacrifice bunt later, the Lancers scored on another fielder's choice play as Gabi Perez hit a slow roller between the plate and the circle. Ostorga fielded the ball and elected to try and get the runner going to the plate but Ruiz slid under the tag to tie the game at 3-3 and kept two runners on with one out.

Giselle Lopez then reached on an error on another grounder to the circle. Ostorga fielded it cleanly and looked back the runner to third base before making her throw to first, but the toss was spiked to the ground and got past Haile Torres at first, allowing the run to score and put runners on second and third with one out.

Alyssa Guzman would then lay down a perfect sacrifice bunt to first, allowing Perez to score on the squeeze play to put the Lancers up 5-3.

Rodriguez would groundout to end the frame but the Warriors were once again trailing by two.

Relief pitcher Austyn Helmuth was tasked with preserving the lead for the Lancers and did just that, pitching out of trouble in the fifth and seventh innings and pitching a perfect sixth to earn her first save of the year.

For the Warriors, Lujan finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and Esparza was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The Warriors will now embark on a five-game SCC road swing beginning Thursday afternoon at Cerritos with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.