No. 13 Cougars Can't Comeback in 8-7 Loss to Southwestern
Canyons (5-2) was forced to play from behind for the second time in as many games, with the Jaguars scratching out a 3-0 first inning lead.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southwestern
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
|
Canyons
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
Despite rallying for four runs in the seventh inning, No. 13 College of the Canyons dropped its second straight game on Wednesday, losing 8-7 to visiting Southwestern College at Whitten Field.
Canyons (5-2) was forced to play from behind for the second time in as many games, with the Jaguars scratching out a 3-0 first inning lead which held up until the home half of the fourth inning.
COC sophomore pitcher Sarah Wilson (2-2) settled into a rhythm after the first, and later recorded a fourth inning RBI sac-fly that drove home Danielle Chatman to make it 3-1.
But that momentum turned out to be short lived. In the top of the fifth, Southwestern put together a five-hit rally that scored four more runs and seemingly put the game out of reach at 7-1.
Wilson was charged with all seven runs in the loss, as the Jaguars' two big innings proved to be her undoing. COC head coach John Wissmath then turned to sophomore Alexis Ramirez to pitch the rest of the way.
A pair of sixth inning RBI singles from Alexis Avila and Chatman gave the Cougars new life at 8-3, and set the stage for what turned out to be an exciting final sequence.
Sienna Vannoy doubled to lead off the seventh, advanced to third on a wild pitch and later scored when Azmarheen Anderson grounded out to the short stop.
Then, a double from Ramirez and walk by Jordan Vallejo set the table for freshman Melanie Abzun to launch her second home run of the season and put the Cougars within a run at 8-7.
Abzun finished the game 3-for-5 and is now batting .481 with 10 RBIs on the year.
COC freshman Micayla Aguilar also had a three-hit game, while Chatman and Avila had two hits apiece. Chatman leads the team with a .609 average.
The Cougars' comeback attempt would fall just short, however, with sophomore Gabrielle Padilla getting a good swing on a ball that eventually made its way to the Southwestern center fielder.
Canyons will look to rebound in its next contest vs. Fullerton College, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28.
—Story and photos by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information