The Vaquero women’s softball team improved their record to 7-5 in the Western State Conference last Thursday as they beat Mission College in both games of a doubleheader at Scholl Canyon Park in Glendale.
The Vaqueros, who had a four-game winning streak snapped by Bakersfield College last week, rebounded from the loss, and proved that they are a team that won’t go down without a fight.
The Mission Eagles started the game off by scoring two runs in the top of the first inning and threatened to score some more by loading the bases, but Glendale freshman pitcher Trista Carr got out of the jam by striking out Eagles batter Denise Funes.
In the bottom of the second, the Vaqueros showed off some slugging power.
It began as Carr’s older sister and clean-up hitter Kristin Carr, hit a bomb off of Eagle pitcher Joleen Alonso that went over the left field fence. As she touched home plate her ecstatic and proud teammates mobbed and congratulated her.
In the same inning, Trista Carr helped herself out with a hard- hit double to right center. That allowed Bernice Sandoval to score, who ran home all the way from first base tying the game at 2-2.
The Vaqueros, who lost five major players at the beginning of the season and ended up with only 10, showed that unity is all that matters to win games.
“These girls all get along and have great chemistry together,” said head coach Dave Wilder. “When a team cares about each other and supports each other, you get wins.”
The team unity and support continued as Sandoval hit a triple in the bottom of the fourth inning and was later sent home on another double by Trista Carr, which put the Vaqueros on top with a score of 3-2.
The Eagles were not down and out yet. Shortstop Janet Maron started the top of the fifth inning with a line drive single to centerfield. Joanna Salas then reached first base on a walk which advanced Maron to second base.
Maron and Salas then scored on a double by Netty DeSilva, making the game 4-3.
Vaquero second baseman, Cindy Torres, showed some great defense as she made a diving catch by a line drive hit by Christina Montes. The great catch ended the inning and the threat of more runs to be scored by the Eagles.
As usual, the Vaqueros weren’t going to give up as they came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Left-fielder Miki Mayorga started off the inning with a single to left field. Kristin Carr followed with yet another home run, but only this time she sent it over right center. This allowed Mayorga to score, making the game 5-4.
Trista Carr continued her dominance on the mound as she retired the last six batters to
get the win. She finished the game with six strikeouts and
went 3-3.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the rain began to pick up, but that wasn’t enough to damper the moods of the Vaquero Softball team.
The Vaquero’s continued to dominate with their bats and scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, which included singles by Xochiti Tapia, Cristina Kula, Kristin Carr and Trista Carr.
In the bottom of the third inning, Kristin Carr continued to wreak havoc and made it look too easy as she hit another home run off Alonso with runners on second and third. This made the game 6-0.
The Vaqueros would go on to score three more runs in the bottom of the third and one more in the fourth, making the game 10-2.
The game was called in the bottom of the fifth because of the eight — run mercy rule.