ALEXANDRA ORTIZ | STAFF WRITER
After having a winning streak of 12-0, the RCC Tigers ran out of steam when they lost their first game of the Bakersfield tournament against Santa Barbara, 4-3, on March 22.
The Tigers won one of their three games at the Bakersfield Tournament
The team goes out to this tournament every season to get a feel of the field since Bakersfield will host the State Championships.
Last season the Tigers got second place in the state championships, the farthest any RCC softball team has ever gotten before.
“We didn’t come out strong, any given team can have a bad game and it just wasn’t our weekend.” said Desiree Broussard, the Tigers left outfielder, when asked about the team’s performance at the tournament on March 22.
The Bakersfield tournament gives the Tigers the opportunity to play against Northern California teams that they usually would not see in the Orange Empire Conference.
Jessica Valenzuela, the Tigers second baseman, believes in her team and that she will be playing under those Bakersfield lights in May for the championship.
The Tigers are sitting alone at the top of the Orange Empire Conference with no company insight despite a loss to conference rival, Santa Ana, on March 26.
“We let that game slip out of our hands,” said Tigers assistant coach Jose Ortega.
The Tigers were leading the Dons, 3-1, until the sixth inning when the Dons tied up the game and ended up taking the 4-3 victory in extra innings.
“Santa Ana is a very talented group, they have great speed and so do we,” Ortega said. “We just got to come on top next time.”
Ortega also stated that the Tigers are working hard every day to improve on their weaknesses and be a state champion contenders.
“The goal is the state champions, but every win gets us closer to becoming that winning team,” Ortega said. “Next time we’re playing under those (Bakersfield) lights, we’ll be playing as an improved winning team.”