The West Valley softball team officially opened the finest community college softball facility in California with a joyous pregame ceremony Thursday and then went out and treated the capacity crowd to a 21-0 five-inning blanking of Chabot College.

The Viking Field Grand Opening Celebration was the culmination of more than two years of planning and construction that gave West Valley a facility unrivaled in the CCCAA. Dignitaries representing the college, the community and the contractors, including WVMCCD Chancellor Brad Davis and WVC President, regaled the crowd with stirring speeches, ribbon-cutting and a quartet of ceremonial first pitches. Student groups organized and decorated, while spectators took part in a free BBQ, games and raffles. And then the Vikings took on the Gladiators in a Coast Conference battle under cloud-free skies.

Viking starter America Maples struck out the first two Chabot batters and then gave up the only Gladiator hit of the game, a single by Cherlyn Sandal. On the next pitch, Viking catcher Dezmyre Cruz threw out the stealing Sandal on a perfect throw to Abigail Desa to end the threat and set ther tone for the rest of the game.

West Valley sent ten batters to the plate in the home half of the first, scoring six runs on five hits. Kassady Alcazar led off with a walk, followed by RBI-singles from Desa, Sydney Heming and Maddie Grissom and a bases-clearing double from Emma Courtney. Reyna Cruz added a two-run double to make it 6-0.

Grissom ripped a solo home run to deep left, her team-leading fifth on the year, for a 7-0 Viking lead after two. Eleven Vikings batted in the third, as WVC scored eight for a 15-0 advantange. Heming, Courtney and Alaysia Clincy had singles in the inning, while Alcazar doubled and Michelle Gonzales tripled. 

The Vikings sent 12 batters to the plate in the fourth, adding six runs on six hits, highlighted by two-run two-baggers from Courtney and Natalie Clevenger. Reliever Shelby White set the Gladiators down in order in the top of the fifth to send everyone home early.

Heming finshed 3-4 with three RBI, while Courtney was also 3-4 with two two-run doubles, and Grissom was 3-3 with two RBI. Maples picked up the win in the circle, giving up that lone first-inning single and one walk, while striking out five of the ten Gladiators she faced.