No. 17 Canyons Splits Home Doubleheader vs. No. 12 Long Beach City
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
No. 17 College of the Canyons splits its non-conference doubleheader vs. No. 12 Long Beach City College on Friday, bouncing back to win the second game by a 3-1 final score after falling 12-7 in the opener.
COC freshman Lexy Angulo (6-1) was superb in her game two start. She contained Long Beach to just two hits with one walk and three strikeouts in leading the Cougars back into the win column.
The Vikings pushed across an unearned run to take a 1-0 lead in what proved to be a pivotal fourth inning but were otherwise held at bay throughout the second contest.
Valery Ramirez tripled, her second three-bagger of the day, to bring in Allyson Melgar and tie the game at 1-1 later in the same inning. Ramirez came around to score at 2-1 on a wild pitch. Later, it was Ari Soto with an RBI base hit that plated Gigi Garcia for what proved to be the 3-1 final score.
Garcia and Melgar both finished the game with two hits to lead the Cougars.
Earlier in the day Canyons (20-10, 10-3) had its five-game win streak halted by the Vikings (23-9, 15-3) in a back-and-forth game that Long Beach eventually took control of with a five-run fifth inning. COC scored two of its own in the home half of the same inning to keep it close before falling further behind down the stretch.
Ashlynn Heck had a three-hit game, Schalyn Rhambo had two hits, two walks and two stolen bases, Ramirez tripled in a run, and Alyssa Silva drove in a pair of her own to help pace the offense. However, the Cougars committed three costly errors to help LBCC maintain the advantage.
Melgar (14-9) took the loss on a day the sophomore was charged with all 12 runs, nine earned, against a hot-hitting LBCC lineup.
Ashley Hester (12-9) got the win for Long Beach. She allowed seven runs, six earned, on 13 hits and two walks.
Top Performers Game 1 (L, 12-7)
- Ashlyn Heck – 3-for-5, 2B, R, RBI
- Gigi Garcia – 1-for-2, BB, 2B, R, RBI, sac-fly
- Julia Fuentes – 2-for-4, R, RBI
- Valery Ramirez — 2-for-4, 3B, R, RBI
- Schalyn Rhambo — 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2B, R, 2 SB
- Alyssa Silva – 1-for-3, BB, 2B, RBI
Top Performers Game 2 (W, 3-1)
- Lexi Angulo – W (6-1), 7 IP, R, 2 H, BB, 3 K
- Gigi Garcia – 2-for-3, 3B, R
- Allyson Melgar – 2-for-3, 2B, R
- Valery Ramirez – 1-for-3, 3B, R, RBI
- Ari Soto — 1-for-2, RBI, SB
Upcoming Schedule
Canyons continues conference play Tuesday, April 18 with a pivotal road doubleheader at Bakersfield College that could determine the conference champion. The Cougars began the week a game behind the Renegades for the Western State Conference (WSC), East Division's top spot.
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.
