Owls Storm Back With Eight Unanswered Runs to Defeat Golden West
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Golden West | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
|
Citrus | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | X | 10 | 12 | 1 |
No. 14 in the state ranked Citrus College Softball defeated Golden West College 10-6 at home Tuesday, February 24. The win moves the Owls to 10-5 overall on the season.
The Owls rallied from an early deficit, scoring eight unanswered runs over the final three innings to secure the victory.
Golden West plated one run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead, but Citrus answered in the bottom half when leadoff hitter Alivia Martinez crushed her fourth home run of the season to left field to tie the game at 1-1. Izzy Poveda later gave the Owls a 2-1 lead with an RBI single that drove in Jaelynn Eaves. Golden West responded with five unanswered runs to build a 6-2 lead by the fourth, but Citrus quickly answered. Martinez ignited the comeback with a two-RBI triple that scored Jocelyn Escobedo and Poveda, trimming the deficit to two, and moments later Grace Twente singled home Martinez to make it 6-5 at the end of the fourth inning.
Citrus took the lead for good in the fifth when Escobedo scored on a Rustlers defensive miscue and Anaya Burley followed across the plate on the same play to put the Owls ahead 7-6. The offense added insurance in the sixth as Eaves delivered a two-run single to score Twente and Brooke Whiteman, before Burley brought home Eaves with another RBI single to cap the scoring and seal the 10-6 win.
Citrus finished with 10 runs on 12 hits with three walks and five stolen bases. Martinez went 2-for-4 with a home run, triple and three RBIs; Eaves drove in two; Burley and Poveda each had two hits and an RBI; Twente reached base twice, scored twice and stole two bases; and Escobedo scored twice and doubled. In the circle, Brissa Ayon allowed six runs (five earned) over 3.1 innings, while Natalie Carmona (W, 2-1) earned the win with 3.2 scoreless innings, surrendering two hits with one strikeout.
Up next, Citrus hosts No. 7 in the state ranked Cypress College on Thursday, February 24 at 2 p.m. The Chargers defeated the Owls 8-2 in Cypress on February 12.