No. 9 Cougars Take Two at Santa Monica to Sweep Doubleheader

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The College of the Canyons softball team's bats came to life on Tuesday, giving the Cougars the power it needed to sweep a doubleheader against Santa Monica College winning 11-2 in five innings in Game 1 and 8-5 in Game 2.

Head coach Jon Wissmath's lineup erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning of Game 1 to give COC an insurmountable 11-2 lead resulting in an early conclusion of the contest at the end of the inning.

COC starting pitcher Ashley Russo tossed another steady game, pitching five innings while allowing five hits, two runs, one earned run and a walk. Russo also struck out three Corsair hitters on the way to earning her 11th win of the season.

Kaitlyn Shreves had a big day from the leadoff spot going 2-for-3 with a double and a triple. She scored three runs, drew a walk and collected two RBI.

Cheyenne Steward — batting in the cleanup spot for a change — finished 3-for-4, scoring two runs and driving in a pair in the process.

Game 2 was not as one sided, but both teams did trade power shots. The Cougars got the most out of their hits, launching three homers on their way to an 8-5 victory in seven innings.

Steward, Amber Evans and Lauren Anderson all launched home runs.

Anderson went 2-for-4 in Game 2 including a run scored and an RBI.

A trio of pitchers handled the pitching duties for the Cougars over seven innings. Milana Casillas, Russo and Kaitlyn Reed weathered the five-run Corsair output.

Starting pitcher Casillas surrendered five hits, three runs, two earned runs and two walks.

After the sweep, COC's record now sits at 25-8-1 with five games left on the regular season schedule.

The Cougars' next game returns them to the friendly confines of Whitten Field to face Glendale Community College at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16.