Worth the Price of admission

The Saddleback softball team won two games against Santa Barbara City College on Saturday at the Saddleback softball diamond.  The Bobcats are now three games over .500 for the first time this season.

Saddleback and Santa Barbara played in temperatures in the 70's, which was something that hadn't happened all season.  The Bobcats pulled off two heroic wins to run their winning streak to four, which is a sign of their own warming trend.  

The opening game saw Saddleback pull off a 2-1 victory despite having just one hit in the game.  It was a timely hit, as Saddleback scored two runs in the bottom half of the third inning in improbable fashion.  With two outs to start the inning, Alyssa Jimenez walked and then stole second base to put the potential go-ahead run just 120-feet from home plate.  The next batter was Sarah Araujo, who struck out but reached first base when the ball got past the catcher and allowed her to reach base.  Mia Calderon then singled home Jimenez for the opening run of the game and moved Araujo over to third base.  With two out, Calderon stole second base and the throw from the catcher went in to center field, allowing Araujo to score the second run of the inning.

Saddleback pitcher Desiree McGruder was tough all game, but got into a pinch in the top half of the seventh inning.  Santa Barbara scored a run to cut the lead to 2-1 and loaded the bases with only one out in the frame.  McGruder proceeded to get a strike out and a pop up to first base to end the inning and the game, thus preserving the win.

Game two saw Santa Barbara take a 3-0 lead into the bottom half of the sixth inning when the Bobcats pulled off some more magic.  Saddleback inserted Avery Price into the game, and she started a rally by reaching first base on a defensive miscue from the Vaqueros.  Price would later score the opening run of the inning on a sacrifice fly from Cristen Areopagita to cut the deficit to 3-1.  McGruder then tripled down the right field line as the Bobcats climbed within 3-2.  One batter later, Kianna Gutierrez singled to left field and McGruder trotted home with the tying run.

Saddleback came to the plate in the bottom half of the seventh inning with a chance to pull out victory from the jaws of defeat.  Jimenez started the inning with a hit up the middle to put the potential winning run at first base.  After Sarah Araujo flied out, Price again returned to the plate looking for her first hit of the season.  She delivered a flare into right-center field that dropped in between the outfielders, allowing Jimenez to advance all the way to third base.  Ivy Vasquez then came to the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to left field as Jimenez scampered across home plate with the winning run.

The wins give Saddleback a four-game winning streak for the first time this season.  It also put the Bobcats at three games above .500 (11-8) for the first time all year.

Saddleback will try to make it five straight wins on Monday when they host Fullerton College in Orange Empire Conference play at 1:00 PM.  The game on Monday is a makeup game from a game that was wiped out earlier in the season due to rain.