BERRIATUA BLANKS WEST VALLEY, 6-0, FOR 20TH WIN AS NO. 1 CSM GOES TO 30-0
SARATOGA – Lauren Berriatua pitched a 1-hit complete game for her 20th victory as undefeated No. 1 College of San Mateo won its 30th straight softball game, 6-0, at Coast South Conference leader West Valley College Tuesday.
COLLEGE OF SAN MATEO SPORTS NEWS Contact: Fred Baer baerf@smccd.edu
BERRIATUA BLANKS WEST VALLEY, 6-0, FOR 20TH WIN AS NO. 1 CSM GOES TO 30-0
Melina Rodriguez returned to the lineup as designated player after being sidelined with an injury for several weeks and got a hit and scored a run. She was the state batting leader with an average over .600 at the time of her injury, but no longer has enough appearances to qualify as the official leader.
State pitching leader Berriatua lowered her ERA to 0.26 and is now 20-0 (by far the best winning percentage among the state's 80 teams). No. 2 is teammate Lacie Crawford at 10-0. Berriatua gave up one single and two walks -- while striking out four (to total 131 Ks) and facing just 23 batters, two over the minimum. The sophomore righthander out of Notre Dame (Belmont) also starred with the bat, going 3-for-4 (including a double and an RBI) and scored two runs, raising her "official" No. 2 in the state batting average to .569. She is slugging 1.069.
Christy Peterson had the game's only other extra base hit, also a double. Leilani Akai had three hits and an RBI and scored a run.
West Valley's Lydia Reyes, the Northern California slugging leader (No. 2 in state), was held to a 0-for-3 day at the plate. West Valley pitching ace Kaitlyn Guevara (12-5) was tagged for ten hits and three earned runs – raising her ERA to 1.61 and dropping her several spots to now No. 10 in the state in that category.
CSM is now 30-0, 11-0 in the Coast North. West Valley fell to 21-6, 8-3 in the Coast South.
NEXT: CSM hosts De Anza on Thursday (April 2) at 3 p.m. and visits second place Ohlone on Saturday (April 4) at 12 noon.
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