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Riverside City College Tiger third baseman Summer Sanders rounding third base after a hard-hit triple at the Riverside City College Evans Complex on March 22. Photo by Ayden Vasquez.
By: Nathan Anaya
The Tigers softball team’s losing streak extended to 10 games as they fell to the Orange Coast Pirates by a score of 3-2 in another close game at the Evans Sports Complex on March 22.
The Riverside City College Tigers got a quick start to the game in the second inning with a 2 RBI double from freshman second baseman Sheila Fernanda Cano with the bases loaded to give them a 2-0 lead.
Orange Coast would get back into the game in the fourth inning in a big way, tying the game with a two-run homerun from sophomore first baseman Melissa Hanson.
The Tigers offense has been the team’s achilles heel as of late, losing three of its last four games by one run. The bats went quiet after the second inning as Pirates sophomore pitcher Angela Whitmore pitched a shutout from that point onwards.
“We’ve worked well as a team,” freshman center fielder Alysse Flores said. “It’s just our hitting is a little lacking right now.”
Riverside City College Tiger center fielder Alysse Flores celebrating with assistant coach Sarah Kammert after hitting a single at the Riverside City College Evans Complex on March 22. Photo by Ayden Vasquez
A critical error would prove to be costly for the Tigers as Orange Coast would score an unearned run in the fifth inning off a passed ball. That allowed the Pirates to take a 3-2 lead.
The Tiger offense continued to be shut down by Whitmer and the Pirates fielding with no hits to be seen as the game would end with the Tiger’s tenth straight loss of the season.
Although the Tigers lost, coach Daddona had high praise of Whitmer after the game as she credited the Pirates pitcher for the turnaround.
“That’s a very good pitcher right there,” she said. “(Whitmer) spins the ball well, she uses every little ounce of her mechanics to do a good job living on that outside pitch.”
Freshman shortstop Elizabeth Sigala describes the offensive struggles as something that needs to be fixed in order to end the losing streak.
“I feel like we just have to pull through with the hits,” she said. “We have been really close so we’re just gonna build on that in practice and get better every day.”
