SBVC (12-21; 7-4) wrapped up their first 3-game sweep of the season taking out the Palm Desert College of the Desert Roadrunners (6-21-1; 2-7) in a double header, 3-2 and 10-2, keeping them within striking distance of a CCCAA Playoff spot.
SBVC won the first contest between these two schools at Palm Desert on March 30th, winning that game 4-2 and with the double header victories, grabbed their first season sweep of the Roadrunners since before the 2010 season. With the season sweep of COD, SBVC is just one game back of second place Rio Hondo for the second and final playoff spot. SBVC has four games remaining in the 2016 regular season and a key home finale against Barstow on Wednesday.
In game one, both teams would score all of their runs in the third inning, as the Roadrunners led off the top half of the third with a hit-by-pitch and a one out single to left, then both runs would come home on a single to right and passed ball to give Desert the early 2-0 lead.
SBVC would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the third, as sophomore short stop and leadoff batter Savanah Guzman (Redlands H.S.) hit an opposite field double "DOUBLE" to right and came home on a single to right by freshman third baseman Alexandra Woods (Riverside John Wesley North). Freshman catcher Destiny Flores (Rialto Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower) would reach on a bunt single, then freshman right handed starting pitcher Terilyn Baude (San Bernardino Cajon) dropped a double "DOUBLE" at the base of the wall in right field, scoring Woods and tying the game at 2-2.
Then the bizarre happened as Flores was on third base and Baude was on second base, freshman right fielder Selena Roldan (San Bernardino Cajon) hit into a fielder's choice where Flores got caught in a run down between home and third base, but as Flores attempted to get back to third base by diving head first into the Desert tag, Baude had moved to third. Buade would eventually come on a single to right by freshman center fielder Karina Ponce (Moreno Valley Rancho Verde) to score what would eventually become the winning run.
Baude tossed a fantastic game, throwing seven complete, giving up two runs, both unearned, on six hits, walking four and striking out five, to collect her 11th win of the season. Ponce would go 3 for 3 with a run batted in and Guzman would go 2 for 3 with a run scored in the win.
Unfortunately, for SBVC, the back-half of the double header began just as many have throughout the season, with a sluggish start as the Roadrunners scored two runs in the top of the first. That would be all that the visitors would get though as Baude once again produced in the circle for SBVC, throwing five innings, allowing two runs, both unearned, on six hits, walking two and striking out four, for her 12th win of the season.
SBVC would bust game two open in the bottom of the second as they brought ten batters to the plate, clobbering two doubles and four singles, scoring five runs in the inning. Ponce led off the inning with a double to left and came home on a one out fielder's choice by freshman left fielder Alexes Medina (San Bernardino San Gorgonio). Freshman second baseman Desiree Donley (San Bernardino Options 4 Youth) would reach on an infield bunt single and Woods would hit a two out single to left to load the bases. Flores brought in a run on an infield single and Buade would also bring in a run on a single to left, then Roldan punished a double "DOUBLE" to center to score two more runs. When the dust finally settled and thanks to all of the runs scoring at home plate, there was a great deal of dust in the air, SBVC had taken a commanding 5-2 lead.
SBVC would add to that lead in the third inning with a two out rally, as Donley would hit a single to left and Guzman would double "DOUBLE" to left, then Woods would bring them both home on a double "DOUBLE-DOUBLE" to left. To top it all off, Woods would score on a double "DOUBLE-DOUBLE- DOUBLE" to left by Flores, giving SBVC an 8-2 lead.
SBVC would put the game into mercy territory when they added two more runs in the fourth, when Roldan led off the inning with a single to left, chasing the starting pitcher, and Ponce followed that up with a single to center. After a sacrifice bunt by freshman first baseman Claire Garcia (Redlands The Grove School), both runs would come home on a Medina pop fly out to the short stop as the throw was way off line.
Guzman went 2 for 3 with a run scored and Woods went 2 for 2 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Flores went 2 for 2 with a walk, a run scored and 2 RBI's and Roldan went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's and a run scored. Ponce went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and Donley went 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored on the afternoon.
Photo by Wade Byars.
Information, Photos & Story provided by SBVC Sports Information.