Diana Ruiz's sixth-inning solo home run turned out to be the difference as the San Bernardino Valley College softball team held off a seventh-inning rally by College of the Desert in a 7-6 win in an Inland Empire Athletic Conference game Wednesday at Chavez Park in Colton.

Ruiz's blast over the fence in left-center - her second home run of the game - gave the Wolverines a 7-4 lead heading into the seventh. But the Roadrunners rallied. With one out, Porschea Miranda walked. Then Annabelle Amador and Elizabeth Felix followed with back-to-back doubles to close the score to 7-6. But pitcher Sofia Gonzalez got Jessie Rios to line out to right, and after a walk, Davia Hines to pop up to first to close the game.

SBVC opened the scoring in the first, plating three unearned runs with two outs. Aniya Lane led off with a single to left, then went to second on a hit-and-run groundout by Patricia (Levi) Luna. After a pop out, Joclynn Redell hit a grounder in the hole at short for a single, but a wild throw allowed Lane to score and Redell to go to second. Audi Pettaway followed with a single, allowing Redell to go to third, with Pettaway taking second on a throw home. Sierra Banuelos came up and hit a grounder that went through the shortstop's legs, allowing Redell and Pettaway to score, with Banuelos thrown out trying to take second.

Desert scored three in the third, chasing SBVC starter Alyssa Fonseca. The game remained tied into the fourth, when SBVC employed the long ball to take the lead. Pettaway led off with a single to right, then took second as the right fielder's throw to try and get her at first went to the backstop. One out later, Ruiz knocked a pitch over the fence in left to give SBVC a 5-3 lead.

The Roadrunners got one back in the fifth, but Luna answered with a solo homer of her own to center field, giving SBVC a 6-4 lead.

Ruiz ended the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Pettaway was also 2-for-3, scoring twice.