Canyons Scores 7-6 Walk-Off to Claim First Conference Victory
The Lady Cougars (13-4, 1-0) scored six runs in the sixth vs. Glendale to help set up Rebecca Rodarte's game-winning run in the seventh.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Glendale
|
0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 3 |
|
Canyons
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
Story and photo by Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
SANTA CLARITA — The Lady Cougars waited until the sixth inning before crossing home plate but then did so in prodigious fashion, scoring six runs in the sixth to swing the momentum before walking off with a 7-6 win in the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division opener on Thursday at Whitten Field.
Canyons improved to 13-4 overall in picking up its first conference victory. Glendale dropped to 4-12 for the season.
The visiting Vaqueros jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a scoreless first inning. COC starter Jenna Rorick got into some trouble against a Glendale lineup that was able to score five runs, four earned, on 10 hits and a walk. Rorick struck out four batters in her 5 1/3 innings in the circle.
Glendale added two more in the sixth to drive Rorick from the game and take a 5-0 advantage onto the field for the bottom of the sixth.
Makayla Lopez finally put COC on the board with an RBI double that scored Ashlynn Heck. Rebecca Rodarte added an RBI single before Camryn Webb, aided by the errant Vaquero infield, was able to help get another run home at 5-3.
Chisato Kawahara had the biggest hit of the inning with a bases-clearing triple that tied the game. In the following sequence she scored an unearned run on a wild pitch to put Canyons ahead 6-5.
A sacrifice bunt and infield error from the Cougars allowed Glendale to tie the game 6-6 in the seventh.
Not allowing the momentum to slip away again, Rebecca Rodarte kept the inning alive with a two-out single before Natsuki Kameyama's bunt single sent Rodarte to third and eventually allowed her to score the winning run, 7-6, on another infield error from the Vaqueros.
Kaitlyn Post (1-0) earned her first win of the season for her 1 and 2/3 innings of work. She allowed one hit and struck out one batter.
Canyons has now won three of its last four contests.
Top Performers
Chisato Kawahara finished 1-for-3 with a walk, a triple, two RBIs, a run and also stole a base.
Rebecca Rodarte scored the winning run after going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Natsuki Kameyama was 2-for-4 with a run and the key bunt single in the seventh.
Camryn Webb was a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored.
Up Next
COC will take a brief hiatus from conference play with a home doubleheader vs. Cerritos College (7-7, 3-6) on Friday. Games are scheduled to start at 12 and 2 p.m. Canyons then begins a busy week with a Tuesday conference road trip to West L.A., a home affair vs. rival Bakersfield College and a home Saturday doubleheader vs. Santiago Canyon College.
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.
