With catcher Zara Mineo hitting the game’s only home run, and pitcher Hailey Harris putting up a fight, LBCC softball swept Mt. San Antonio College with a 6-1 win at the April 1 home game.
Mineo’s home run came during the first inning, with two outs and two runners on first and second base, bringing them both home.
“It feels pretty good to be playing to my best, doing what I know how to do, and being able to be there for my team,” said Mineo.
The home run brought the score to 4-0, ending the first inning on a high note.
The first run was made by outfielder Sienna Rievly, who was the only player to drive in two runs in this game.
In the second inning, Rievly hit a double that allowed second baseman Alexa Gonzalez to complete her run, Rievly was then batted in by a single from first baseman Anaya Togia.
The Vikings’ tight grip on the score was challenged in the fourth inning.
After batting at the plate with a total of five foul balls, Mt. SAC’s first baseman Amanda Porterfield made a hit, allowing Mt. SAC to earn their first run of the game.
However, this did not intimidate Harris.
“I love that kind of stuff. She put up a good fight. She’s a good hitter. I’m just grateful to be in those opportunities to compete with good players, and coming out on top feels good. I feel like that’s the stuff that challenges us and makes us a championship team,” Harris said.
With runners at third and second base, Harris subsequently picked off the third base runner, moving the game into the top of the inning.
Harris pitched the entire game and, despite a challenging fourth inning, prevented Mt. SAC from making any more runs for the rest of the game.
Despite neither team earning any more runs after this, the game remained tense until the very end.
“We have a good rhythm right now. Our entire team is really effective right now, they play really well together. And it’s always fun to sweep a conference opponent,” coach Megan Martinez said.
Martinez was optimistic following the win.
“We stranded a lot of runners. We’re gonna work on not leaving our runners on base,” Martinez said regarding improvements.
With this win, Vikings Softball’s record improved to 24-2, but they are currently 29-4, remaining first in their division.