Glendora, CA (Softball) -- Citrus College freshman Jessica Kosharek went a combined 5 for 6 from the plate in the Lady Owls’ triangular with Mt. San Jacinto and San Diego City College on Thursday evening. Kosharek drove in two runs and scored once, helping lead Citrus to a 9-0 win over San Jacinto and a 3-1 victory over SD City.
The Lady Owls kicked off the triangular with Mt. San Jacinto. Freshman Destinee Quinn got the start in the circle for Citrus, and she dominated the Eagles pitching five shut-out innings and allowing just four hits in that span. Quinn allowed a runner to get past first base just once, and that was in the final inning of the game.
With Quinn holding the Eagles down, the Citrus offense did their part too. Sophomore Lauren Pulley kicked things off with a lead-off inside the park home-run (her 6th of her career). The Owls would add another run in the second when after a lead-off triple by Rebecca Lopez, Kosharek picked up one of her two RBI’s with a ground out to second base that scored Lopez.
Citrus really opened up the floodgates in the third scoring five unanswered runs. Freshman Tamara Robles had the big bat of the inning smoking a two RBI double to center field. Leading 7-0, Citrus needed one more run before the fifth to get their third mercy rule win of the season. They got more than that in the fourth thanks to freshman Hannah Carter’s RBI single and Gabrielle Munoz bases loaded RBI walk.
Things wouldn’t be as easy offensively in the second game, as Citrus found themselves in a pitcher’s duel with San Diego City. Citrus would be pretty much sat down in order through the first four innings with the exception of the very first batter of the game, when sophomore Amanda “Turbo” Herrera led off the game with a solo shot over the left field fence.
With Citrus being turned away at the plate, freshman pitcher Kimberly Lopez was more than happy to return the favor. Lopez didn’t allow a base runner the first five innings, but had a similar slip-up to SD City in the second inning, when Elizabeth Vaca led off the inning by going yard in almost the same spot Herrera did.
With the game tied at 1-1 and both pictures cruising, Citrus knew they were going to need to scratch out a few runs. They did just that in the fifth inning scoring on a passed ball and an RBI single by Annette Diaz that followed a SD City error.
Trailing by two runs, City made their best push in the top of the sixth inning. With runners on second and third and no outs, Lopez got the next batter to ground out into a fielder’s choice, as Citrus got the runner trying to score from third out.
Lopez then struck out the next batter looking and got the final batter of the inning to ground out, keeping Citrus’ lead at two runs and preserving the win after the Knights were unable to threaten in the seventh.
Wit h the pair of wins, Citrus improves to 5-4 overall. The Fighting Owls will participate in another triangular next Tuesday as they travel to Oxnard to take on the Condors and Moorpark College. Citrus will face Oxnard in the first game at 1:00 PM and then follow that up with a title against the Raiders at 3:00 PM.
Box Score vs Mt. San Jacinto
Box Score vs San Diego City