Double Walk-Offs

Glendora, CA - The Citrus College Softball team opened up their 2017 home schedule late Friday afternoon when they hosted Pre-Season State #5 and SoCal #3 Palomar College in a double-header. It was an exciting affair in both contests as the Owls walk-offed both contests.

 Game #1 was a particularly volatile game with wild lead changes and shifts of momentum. The Owls scored their first three runs thanks in large part to numerous illegal pitches being called by the umpires. Citrus scored four runs in the first two innings, and all came on illegal pitch calls. Palomar would work their way into the game with a solo shot in the top of the third, and then blew the game wide open with six runs in the top of the fourth, five of which were unearned due to Owl errors. 

Trailing 7-4, the Owls pulled back to within a run in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Celine Spathias grounded out to second base, but freshman Valerie Ortiz was able to score from third. A few at bats later, freshman Molly Montell singled through the right side of the field to plate freshman Mia Escobar and make it 6-7. Palomar would surge back in front with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth. 

In the bottom half of the fifth, the Owls would pick up another score when freshman Alyssa Roman scored on yet another illegal pitch. Moments later Spathias stepped up to the dish and belted a double to left-center driving in Escobar and Ortiz to make it 9-10. A few pitches later, sophomore Jade Nua doubled to center field to bring around Spathias and make it 10-10. Nua herself would score a few sequences later when one more illegal pitch brought in an Owl score, giving Citrus a 11-10 lead. 

The Comets weren't going to take the Owl spurt lying down however, as they tied the game up at 11-11 in the top of the sixth. Neither team was able to end the game in the final inning and a half, pushing the game to an eighth inning. With the international tie breaker in effect, Palomar plated a run in the top of the eighth to push the Comets back in front 12-11. Citrus answered though in the bottom half, when a double by freshman Jacquelyn Preciado drove in Roman, and Escobar freshman Seanna Jimenez with a walk-off RBI single back up the middle of the field. 

In the win, Ortiz would finish with a team high three hits, going 3 for 4 with a pair of scores. Spathias would drive in a team high three runs, while Escobar scored three times after going 1 for 2 with a pair of RBIs. Freshman Danielle Dominguez would snag the win in the circle for Citrus, pitching the final five innings. Nine of Palomar's runs would come in that five inning stretch, but only one was earned. 

In the second game, Citrus picked up where they left off. Nua ripped a double down the left field line to bring home Escobar and Preciado, while Montell got on board thanks to an error by the Comets that allowed Spathias to score from third and give Citrus a 3-0 lead after the bottom of the first. Palomar wouldn't strike until the top of the third, but Citrus got the run right back in the bottom half when freshman Jocelyn Alvarado drew a bases loaded RBI walk that brought in Ortiz. 

Palomar, which showed it's affinity for big innings in the first game, had yet another one in the top of the fourth when dropped five runs on the Owls to take a 7-4 lead. Spathias would help pull the Owls a little closer by driving in the perpetually on base Escobar in the bottom of the fourth, but Citrus would be held scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. 

Luckily for the Owls offense, Dominugez was putting in work in the circle, shutting down the Comet's offense in the final three innings. Dominguez gave up just four hits and one walk in her final 3.1 innings worth of work, and did so without giving up a single run. That put the game into the bottom of the seventh inning with Citrus trailing by two scores. Jimenez would lead the inning off by getting on board after being hit in the batters box. 

Alvarado would suffer the same fate putting runners on first and second with no outs. That brought Preciado to the plate. After falling behind in the count 0-2, Preciado took a ball to work the count to 1-2. On the very next pitch, Preciado drilled the ball over the left field fence, giving Citrus the 8-7 victory. 

With the win, Citrus improves to 3-0 on the young season. The Owls will be back at home on Wednesday afternoon when they host Fullerton College, ranked #7 in the Pre-Season SoCal Coaches Poll. First pitch is set for 2:30 PM.