Owls Split With Cuesta, Bounce Back in Game Two

No. 18 ranked Citrus College Softball hosted Cuesta College for a non-conference doubleheader on Friday, March 6, splitting the two games after falling 16-11 in game one before defeating the Cougars 9-7 in game two. After Friday's doubleheader, the Owls move to 14-7 overall on the season and remain 1-0 in conference play.

In game one, the Owls mounted a late comeback but ultimately fell to Cuesta College, 16–11, after a big fourth inning by the Cougars proved too much to overcome. Cuesta jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning before Citrus responded in the bottom half when Jaelynn Eaves singled to bring home Alivia Martinez and cut the deficit to 2–1. The Cougars added three runs in the second inning to extend their lead to 5–1 and then broke the game open with an 11-run fourth inning to take a commanding 16–1 advantage.

Despite the large deficit, the Owls showed resilience and battled back over the final innings. Citrus began its rally in the fourth when Martinez singled to right field to drive in Samantha Juarez and Izzy Poveda, trimming the score to 16–3. The Owls kept the momentum going in the fifth with a five-run inning. Jocelyn Escobedo drove in a run on a fielder's choice, and Desteny Garcia later scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Brooke Whiteman followed with an RBI single to right center before Martinez added another RBI single up the middle. Citrus plated its fifth run of the inning when Whiteman scored on an error by the third baseman, cutting the deficit to 16–8. Eaves added an RBI single later in the inning to bring home Martinez and make it 16–9. Citrus continued to chip away in the sixth as Juarez singled to shortstop to score Aalijah Aranda, and the Owls added another run in the seventh when Grace Twente scored on an error to bring the final margin to five at 16-11.

Martinez led the Citrus offense, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a season-high three stolen bases. Eaves also went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Anaya Burley collected three hits. Mia Godoy added two hits for the Owls, and Juarez scored twice while driving in a run. Whiteman contributed an RBI single and scored once, and Escobedo finished with an RBI while adding a stolen base. Citrus totaled 16 hits and stole six bases but could not fully overcome Cuesta's 11-run fourth inning.

After a tough loss in the opener, Citrus responded with a strong offensive performance to defeat Cuesta College, 9–7, in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

The Owls started the scoring with two runs in the first inning. Martinez scored the game's first run when Eaves grounded out to second base for an RBI, and Grace Twente later crossed the plate on a groundout by Godoy to give Citrus a 2–0 lead. Cuesta answered in the second inning, scoring three runs to briefly take a 3–2 advantage.

Citrus quickly regained control in the third when Eaves launched a two-run home run, her fifth of the season, that scored Twente and put the Owls back on top, 4–3. The Owls added three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead. Miranda McKiernan singled to left field to drive in Aalijah Aranda, Martinez followed with an RBI triple—her fourth of the season—to right center, and Twente added an RBI single to make it 7–3.

Cuesta cut into the deficit in the fifth with a two-run home run, but Citrus responded again in the sixth inning. Martinez delivered a two-run double to right center, scoring Brooke Whiteman and McKiernan to push the lead to 9–5. The Cougars plated two runs in the seventh, but Citrus held on to secure the win and split the doubleheader.

Martinez led the Owls offensively, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored and three extra-base hits, including two doubles and a triple. Twente also had a strong day, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and two stolen bases. Eaves provided the big swing with her two-run home run and finished with three RBIs. McKiernan added a perfect 2-for-2 performance with two runs scored and an RBI, while Whiteman contributed two hits and scored a run. Aranda also had two hits, including a double.

In the circle, Brissa Ayon (W, 12–4) bounced back to toss a complete game for the Owls, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 12 hits while striking out three.

Up next, Citrus will resume conference play on the road at Glendale College on Tuesday, March 10 at 2 p.m.