Softball Wins Walk-Off Over Orange Coast

Every game for the Pasadena City College softball team seems to go to the wire of late. On Monday, Jaimie Harris singled in Jennie Chacon with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh for a 4-3, walk-off victory over Orange Coast at Robinson Park.

The Lancers (6-5) were coming off a pair of tough 1-run losses v. Bakersfield, 11-10 (a walk-off for the Renegades) and Fullerton, 3-2 in eight innings at the Bakersfield Tourney on Feb. 17. The win over OCC was Pasadena's fourth consecutive 1-run game. 

Second baseman Gabi Perez and designated player Giselle Lopez hit RBI singles to help PCC to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Pirates came back to tie it when Ariana Williams, who homered and was 3-for-3, stole home in the sixth inning. 

In the seventh, Chacon, the team's catcher, drew a walk, rightfielder Arlyne Ruiz singled, and shortstop Danielle Ruiz dropped a sacrifice bunt to move runners into scoring position at second and third. Harris, the Lancers' slugging third baseman, then drove in the game-winner and was mobbed by teammates.

Harris was 2-for-4 and helped PCC pitching ace Kiley Kraft improve her record to 4-2 in the circle with a complete-game, 7-hitter (two earned runs) with four strikeouts. 

Against Fullerton, leftfielder Olivia Nanez's run-scoring single in the sixth inning tied it at 1-1. Harris hit a RBI single in the top of the eighth, but the Hornets responded with two runs in the bottom of the extra inning capped by Serina Vue's game-winning sacrifice fly. Nanez and Harris (a double) each batted 2-for-4. Kraft pitched well with 7.2 innings of 4-hit ball but took the hard-luck defeat.

In the opener v. Bakersfield, PCC took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first only to see the Renegades score three in the bottom and five in the second for an 8-3 lead. The Lancers clawed back to tie it in the sixth at 8-8 thanks to first baseman Marcella Ordonez stealing home and Lopez lining a RBI single. 

After Bakersfield regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, PCC tied it again at 10-10 in the top of the seventh. Down to their final out and no one on base, Nanez and Ordonez each drew hit-by-pitches. Perez hit a RBI single and Lopez later drew a bases-loaded walk that knotted things. 

The Renegades won in walk-off style on Arika Romo's two-out, base hit off Lancers reliever Austyn Helmuth (five innings, eight hits, three runs). Ordonez went 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and three runs scored, Arlyne Ruiz was 2-for-3, Danielle Ruiz 2-for-4, and Perez 2-for-4 in the team's 12-hit attack. 

Through 11 games, centerfielder Breanna Rodriguez led the team with a .500 batting average (11-for-22) and had a team-best five stolen bases while Harris leads the squad in home runs (four), doubles (four) and RBI (13) in batting .375. Ordonez is hitting .389, Perez .371,  and Lopez has 12 RBI (.269). Kraft has been a pitching workhorse with a 1.38 ERA in 40.2 innings. 

On Thursday, Feb. 23, Pasadena was scheduled to begin the South Coast Conference schedule at El Camino College, but rain is in the forecast.