Pirates find a way to win with 6-3 victory over Hornets
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Orange Coast | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
|
Fullerton | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
FULLERTON -- The Orange Coast College softball team came up clutch in the top of the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and defeat Fullerton College, 6-4, on Thursday at Fullerton College.
After trailing through the first four innings, 3-2, the Pirates (5-6, 2-0 in the Orange Empire Conference) evened things up with a run in the top of fifth, courtesy of a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kayla Vargas, tying the game at 3.
In the top of the seventh, Coast started things with two outs and nobody on before finding some two-out magic in the final innings. Kimora Tuipala singled to start the rally before Vargas singled to right, moving pinch-runner Madison Gregory over to third.
Marissa Sardinas stepped up and put the Pirates in the lead, 4-3, with an RBI-single to left, scoring Gregory and moving Vargas to second.
Pinch-hitter Juliana Brower followed with a single to right-center which scored Gregory to put Coast up, 5-3. A costly Fullerton error -- the second in the seventh -- plated Sardinas from third to make it 6-3.
Fullerton answered with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but that would be as close as the hosts would get as relief pitcher Georgia Gruber (6-2) shut the door after that. The sophomore righty threw four strong innings for Coast, allowing two unearned runs on three hits with a strikeout.
Coast pounded out 12 hits against the FC pitching staff, with Tuipala, Kelsey McNair and Victoria Ruiz each collecting two hits.
The Pirates look to go for the sweep over the Hornets on Friday at the OCC Softball Stadium on Friday, beginning at 2 p.m.
