Offense Erupts as Warriors Down East Los Angeles in Six

TORRANCE, Calif. --- Cheyenne Navarro was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle as El Camino College stormed past East Los Angeles, 8-0, in a South Coast Conference tilt on Tuesday afternoon at the ECC Softball Field.

Navarro went 3-for-4 with a triple, double and two runs scored. Emma Garcia and Malia Martin also had three-hit games as the Warriors offense pounded out 16 hits including three doubles and two triples. Six different players also drove in a run on the day.

In the circle, Gabriela Ortega was solid as she tossed a complete game. She scattered six hits, walked one and struck out three to pick up her second win of the season.

The Warriors pounced on Huskies' starter Alexis Romo as ECC touched her up for five runs on five hits in the first inning alone. Romo was only able to record one out before she was relieved by Sophia Priebe, who pitched the final five and 1/3 innings.

In that opening frame, Navarro led off the inning with a triple and then Garcia was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. After a Garcia steal, Martin doubled in both runners to give ECC a quick 2-0 lead.

The hits kept coming as Cerise Cervantes doubled in Martin for a 3-0 lead and then a single from Emily Esparza put runners on the corners again. Esparza would steal second and then the fourth run of the inning came in when Huskies catcher Juliet Verdugo spiked her throw to second, getting past the second baseman and allowing pinch-runner Gianna Gachupin to score.

The Huskies finally recorded the first out of the inning on a pop up but then Julianna Vasquez capped the scoring in the inning, doubling in Esparza for a 5-0 lead and putting an end to Romo's day in the circle.

The score would stay 5-0 until the sixth inning when the Warriors completed the run-rule shutout. With one out, Navarro smashed a double to left-center and then scored on an RBI single by Garcia. Martin singled to put runners on first and second.

Cervantes then hit into a fielder's choice as the out was recorded at third, leaving runners on first and second with two outs. But Esparza followed with an RBI single and then Alyssa Tavera, who entered as a pinch-hitter in the fifth, recorded her second hit of the day with a flare single to left allowing pinch-runner Caitlin Michaels to score with the eighth run of the game and secure the run-rule win.

The Warriors will return to action on Friday with a road game at Mount San Antonio. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.