Bobcats swarm the Hornets early

The Saddleback softball team picked up its second straight win with a 7-5 victory over Fullerton College on Monday at the Saddleback softball diamond.  The Bobcats jumped out to a big lead and held on for the win.

Saddleback shot out of the gate quickly, scoring seven runs over the first two innings in taking a 7-0 lead.  The Bobcats sent eight batters to the plate in the opening inning, rapping out three hits and taking advantage of an error by the Hornets.  Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic opened the scoring with a double to right-center field to score Kianna Gutierrez.  She would later come around to score on a double from Isabel Siqueiros for a 2-0 lead.  The Bobcats would add another run in the inning when the Fullerton defense made a bad decision on a grounder out in front of the plate, allowing Katie Schmidt to gain first base while the throw was late on the breaking runner from third base, Emma Estep.  Saddleback would score one more time when Schmidt stole second and the throw from the catcher went into center field, allowing Siqueiros to score from third base. 

Saddleback scored three more times in the second inning when the Fullerton pitcher had a hard time finding the strike zone.  The Bobcats had three walks in the inning and cashed in when Siqueiros singled home Anne Thibert and Cifuentes-Zombulovic for a 7-0 lead.

Fullerton finally mounted a comeback in the middle innings when they score three times in the third inning and two more times in the fourth inning.  The Bobcats made a change on the mound and then had a number of defensive lapses as the Hornets grabbed the momentum. 

Saddleback then reinserted starting pitcher Katie Schmidt, who quickly found the strike zone and silenced the Fullerton bats.  The Hornets had just one base-runner over the next two innings as Schmidt picked up her eighth win of the season.  She closed the book on the game with a strikeout of Alyssa Haro with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.

Saddleback is now 8-16 overall and 4-10 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Bobcats will play next at Santa Ana College on Wednesday.  The first pitch is expected at 2:00 PM in Santa Ana.