Canyons Moves Streak to Six after Sweeping Doubleheader at Riverside
The Lady Cougars (8-2) have won three straight doubleheaders, also taking games from Ventura and Cuesta College.
Story and photo by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
RIVERSIDE — The Lady Cougars continued its winning ways, extending its current streak to six games by sweeping a road doubleheader from host Riverside City College on Saturday evening.
The two wins by Canyons (8-2) completed a hectic week which also included home doubleheaders vs. Ventura and Cuesta College. The Lady Cougars combined to outscore its opponents by a 44-8 margin over the six-game span with three mercy-rule victories.
Canyons and Riverside (3-7) played a close opening contest with the Lady Cougars scoring runs in the first two innings before holding on for a 4-1 final score.
Ashlynn Heck drove home Chisato Kawahara in the first inning, her first of three RBIs on the day, to give COC an early 1-0 lead.
Canyons added three more runs in the second frame on an RBI single from Julia Fuentes, a groundout RBI from Heck and single from Makayla Lopez to put the Lady Cougars ahead 4-0. The final two runs of that inning were unearned.
That total proved enough as COC starter Jenna Rorick (4-1) tossed seven superb innings, issuing three walks and scattering seven hits resulting in a single run.
Kawahara finished the game 2-for-2 with two walks, two steals and a pair of runs. Fuentes and Lopez both had two hits in the game.
Riverside got on the board in the fifth with an RBI single from Annabelle Salas. RCC pitcher Marissa-Lena Nares (2-2) pitched the whole way and took the loss. She allowed eight hits and walked three, but seemed to find her groove in the later innings by striking out seven batters.
In the night cap Canyons jumped out ahead in the second inning spurred by a three-run home run from Rebecca Rodarte, who also started at pitcher.
An inning later an unearned run scored by Kawahara, on a double steal, and an RBI single from Lopez, that scored Heck, pushed the score to 5-0.
Kawahara's sac-fly in the fourth added another run before Heck scored Camryn Webb with an RBI single through the right side of the diamond to take complete control at 7-0. Kawahara finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
Fuentes ended the scoring with an RBI double in the sixth that put the score at 9-0. She was 2-for-4 in the game and swiped a pair of bases.
Rodarte (4-1) pitched the entire way to get the win. She walked three batters and allowed four hits to go with one punch out.
Riverside starter Carrah Van Houten lasted just three innings in the losing effort, surrendering five runs on three walks and five hits. Nares pitched the final three innings which resulted in four more runs for COC.
Canyons will continue its trend of doubleheaders with a pair of games hosted by Reedley College on Friday, Feb. 21. The Lady Cougars are set to face host Reedley at 10 a.m. before a date with College of San Mateo at noon.
Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.