Cougars Savor 10-2 Victory with Postgame Lemons

Story and photos by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

The Cougars definitely had a sour taste in their mouth after Thursday's game vs. L.A. Mission College, but it had nothing to do with the 10-2 final score that gave COC its fourth straight win.

Canyons (22-11, 13-0) made short work of the Eagles, needing just five innings to win its fourth straight game and remain perfect vs. conference opponents.

Danielle Chatman and Jordan Vallejo both knocked in three runs for the Cougars, and Katie Clinkunbroomer scored three runs to help pace the offense.

Chatman finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and also scored a run. Vallejo was 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs, and Rena Edwards went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Joy Veloz (8-3) won her fifth straight start after holding the Eagles to just one run in four and 1/3 innings of work. She struck out five and walked two along the way.

Prior to the start of Thursday's regularly scheduled contest, COC concluded its road game vs. LAMC which originally began back on March 13 but had to be halted due to weather with the Cougars leading 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning. COC added another run to its tally for a 6-2 final score.

After the game, the Cougars took part in a 'Lemons for Leukemia' challenge which featured COC head coach John Wissmath and his entire roster of players biting into lemons as a way of simulating the bitter taste experienced by patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

The event came about in response to a challenge issued to the squad by the COC football program, which hosted its own 'Lemons for Leukemia' event back on March 23.

"The goal is to raise awareness about the disease and the ongoing need for bone marrow donations that could potentially save someone's life," explained COC athletics program specialist and former COC softball player Lauren Anderson.

Anderson's four-year-old daughter, Kailyn, is in need of a bone marrow transplant and still searching for a match after having been diagnosed with high risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

After the event, the softball team plans to take to social media to issue a 'Lemons for Leukemia' challenge to the COC baseball team.

It's hoped that the various teams, clubs and individuals who take part in the lemons themed challenge will also be inspired to attend the upcoming 'Be the Match – City of Hope' bone marrow registry drive taking place at the COC Valencia campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 25.

For more information visit https://join.bethematch.org/teamkailyn.

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.