No. 5 Softball Mounts Late Comeback to Down Fullerton

TORRANCE, Calif. --- Through five innings, the No. 5 El Camino College offense struggled on Saturday afternoon against Fullerton. But a six-run sixth inning proved to be all the offense the Warriors needed in a 6-4 non-conference win over the Hornets at the ECC Softball Field.

Lilly Lewis went 1-for-3 with a three-run triple and Savanna Kastigar was 2-for-4 with a run scored on the day to lead the Warriors offensively. Lexi Ramirez tossed 5 and 1/3 innings and picked up the save while Mahlia Espino came up with 1 and 2/3 innings of clutch relief to pick up her third win of the season in the circle.

Ramirez had a solid start in the circle through four innings, allowing just one run on two hits. But she hit a wall in the fifth, issuing a pair of walks and hitting a batter to load the bases with one out.

Bethany Morrison came up and tripled to center to clear the bases and give the Hornets a 4-0 advantage. The Warriors summoned Espino from the bullpen and she stranded Morris at third with a pair of flyouts to end the inning.

The sixth proved pivotal in the outcome of the game, first in the top half. Espino got into trouble, loading the bases with no out on two walks and a single. But the Warriors reliever was able to wriggle out of the trouble, first getting an infield fly to short for the first out. She then got starting pitcher Hope Morales to hit into a fielder's choice to third as Emma Garcia thew home for the force at the plate and the second out of the frame. Espino then got Morrison to foul out to Garcia at third to end the threat and keep the deficit at 4-0.  

Meanwhile,the Warriors had no answer for Morales in the circle through five innings. In fact, ECC only managed to hit one ball in the air in the first four innings, a foul out to the catcher in the third.

Aside from a leadoff single from Kastigar in the first inning, the Warriors hadn't hit a ball out of the infield until the fifth inning. But none of that mattered in the bottom of the sixth as the Warriors mounted their comeback and sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring six times to erase their four-run deficit and take a 6-4 lead.

Kastigar led off the frame with a single up the middle against Morales, just the Warriors' second hit of the game at the time with both belonging to the ECC first baseman. After Emma Garcia walked, Cheyenne Navarro hammered a comebacker to the circle that ate up Morales and the Warriors had the bases loaded with no outs.

That's when the big hit finally came for the Warriors as Lewis blasted a bases-clearing triple to the wall in center field to finally get ECC on the board and cut the deficit to 4-3.

The Hornets went to the bullpen to summon Aiden Carlson, who walked Ramirez to put runners on the corners. Ramirez would steal second without drawing a throw and then the Warriors tied the game on a wild pitch by Carlson, allowing Ramirez to get to third with the potential go-ahead run and still no outs.

Jackie Ordonez then drew another walk to put runners on the corners again and then, with Emily Gamboa batting, the Warriors pulled off a double steal to take the lead, 5-4.

Carlson then got two groundouts to short to keep Ordonez at second but Anahi Pintado came up with a clutch RBI single to left to provide some insurance and give the Warriors a 6-4 lead heading to the seventh.

Espino issued a leadoff walk in the seventh, prompting the Warriors to bring Ramirez back in to pitch to try and close out the win.

The right-hander did just that, retiring the final three batters with a strikeout, foul out and flyout to left to complete the comeback and earn the improbable save.

The Warriors, winners of six of their last seven games, will return to action on Tuesday with a South Coast Conference meeting against Rio Hondo at the ECC Softball Field.