No. 7 Canyons Closes out Bakersfield with 4-0 Home Win

Ashley Russo was at it again on Thursday, tossing a complete game shutout to lead the surging Cougars to a 4-0 victory over conference rival Bakersfield College, while winning her third game of the week.

Russo, who also picked up a pair of wins in a home doubleheader vs. Citrus College on Tuesday, is now 18-6 on the season having won 16 of her last 18 starts to go with five shutouts.

She is tied for most wins in the Western State Conference (WSC), while her mark of 113 strikeouts is tied for third. The sophomore's 2.97 ERA is ranked fifth.

Those numbers have made Russo a Californian Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Athlete of the Month nominee. 

As a team, Canyons (23-9, 13-2) has now won 13 of 14 to remain on top of the WSC, Blue Division standings. COC is batting at a .322 clip with 196 runs scored in 32 games to provide the perfect combination of clutch hitting and power pitching.

Canyons is currently the No. 7 ranked team in Southern California and the No. 13 team in the state, according to the most recent coaches poll.

"Russo has been hitting her spots and changing her speeds effectively all week, but was especially sharp on Thursday," said COC head coach John Wissmath. "With Citrus and Bakersfield tied for the second spot, this was a big week for us." 

On Thursday, the Cougars scored three runs in the home half of the first inning to pounce on the visiting Renegades.

Sophomore Kiana Holder drove in the first two runs with a single to right field that improved her team-leading RBI total to 35. Later in the inning Holder scored by stealing home. She finished the game 2-for-3 and also scored a pair of runs. 

Sarah Wilson was 2-for-3 on the day, with an RBI single in the sixth.

Canyons will next host a home doubleheader vs. Santa Monica College on Tuesday, April 19.