Saddleback downs Golden West in OEC opener
The Saddleback softball team opened up the 2015 conference schedule with a 7-3 win over Golden West College on Wednesday afternoon at Trani Field. The Gauchos and Rustlers were scoreless heading to the bottom of the third inning when the Saddleback bats came alive.
Saddleback scored twice in the third inning and four more times in the fourth to open up a 6-1 lead on Golden West. They left the rest up to freshman pitcher Kaylee Cranmer, who pitched a complete game for her fifth win of the year.
After a walk and a ground out to start the third, Katelyn Gomezsingled home Adrienne Goodban with the first run of the game. Singles followed from Chantel Biehl and Caelan Smith, giving Saddleback a 2-0 lead they would never relinquish.
Golden West answered with a run in the top of the fourth before the Gauchos exploded in the bottom half of the inning to put the game out of reach. Saddleback had six singles in the inning, also capitalizing on a Rustler miscue in the field.
Cranmer was tough on the hill, giving up five hits while striking out three in running her record to 5-1 on the year. Two of the three runs scored were on Cranmer unearned when Golden West scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning after a Saddleback error in the field.
The win took away the taste of a 9-1 loss to Palomar on Tuesday and improved the Gaucho record to 6-1 on the year. Saddleback will have a week off before heading to Riverside City College to take on the Tigers next Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
http://saddlebackgauchos.com/sports/sball/2014-15/releases/20150211rf0hp2