By Lucretia Garland
By Lucretia Garland
On March 14 at the Evans Sports Complex, the Riverside City College Tigers took on the Fullerton Hornets.
The game was a challenging match; both teams are extremely competitive and well-oriented in the sport. However, the Tigers struggled to find their offense and were defeated 0-3.
“Our team is made up of stars. It allows us to be competitive,” said coach Michelle Daddona-Moya.
The teams started the match fairly slow, not making a run until the fourth inning. The tenacious defense from both the Tigers and Hornets seemed to dominate most of the game.
During the second inning, Fullerton’s Vanessa Hernandez slammed the ball into the outfield, but a spectacular catch was made by the Tiger’s outfield. One of the Hornets attempted to steal second base, but was tagged midstream.
In the third inning, both teams were tied at zero. Every hit was returned with a catch and an out. Both teams challenged each other to play better.
The Hornets’ Brandi Escarzaga scored the very first run of the game. She hit a single shot home run which left the Tigers trailing 0-1. Her teammates, as well as the crowd were cheering her on as she ran through home plate.
Fullerton player Shannon Essig almost scored another run, but Diana Torrez caught the pop fly in the outfield to close out the inning.
In the fifth inning, the Tigers still had yet to get on the scoreboard but continue to play a dynamic game.
Ali Cano of the Hornets scored the team’s second home run. The game came to an end in the seventh inning with Fullerton scoring their final run.
Such an offensive struggle has been rare for the Tigers this season. Several players are hitting over .400 on the season, while eight of nine players are hitting over .300 as well.
“The women on the team have grown a lot this season,” Dadonna-Moya said.
A few players have been injured this season but still maintained their good sportsmanship.
The Tigers’ third baseman has a bruised knee and has sat out the last couple of games. Some of the pitchers are suffering from forearm inflammation.
The women are in good spirits however, seeing that there are fifty games in a season.
The team started second in the conference, but after the loss drop to fourth.
