In a Pinch, Softball Delivers In Rio Hondo Victory

Pasadena City College softball team head coach Monica Tantlinger is not afraid to use her bench in big-game situations. Tied 2-2 in the seventh inning Tuesday, she sent in pinch hitters Torrey Johnson and Destiny Rojas and both answered the call with RBI singles as the Lancers downed host Rio Hondo College, 5-2, in a South Coast Conference North Division game.

PCC (18-8-1 overall) is 5-1 in the SCC North, just a half game behind first-place Mt. San Antonio. 

The Lancers actually trailed the Roadrunners, 2-0, after five innings, but tied it in the sixth on leftfielder Jazmine Cabrera's RBI double and a run-scoring single to right by first baseman Bree Howard, who was thrown out at second on the play trying to stretch it into double. 

With two outs in the seventh, rightfielder Alise Archuleta singled and then stole second. Johnson came up to pinch hit and delivered the game-winning RBI on a basehit between the 5-6 hole near shortstop. Julissa Moran pinch ran for Johnson and stole second before Rojas came off the bench and stroked her RBI hit for an insurance run. 

Shortstop Karina Moreno led the offense by batting 3-for-4 and stealing her team-leading 14th base. Cabrera added two hits.

Angel Wintercorn improved to 6-4 in the circle by hurling six innings of 2-hit ball, allowing one earned run and striking out nine. Pica Madrid pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, all on pop-ups, to pick up her third save. 

On Mar. 25 at the Ventura Spring Games tourney, the Lancers got past Glendale, 8-7, and settled for a 6-inning, 4-4 tie v. Cuesta. Cabrera batted 3-for-5 while Archuleta and third baseman Brittany Ching added two hits each. The Lancers also were tied 5-5 going into the seventh before erupting for three runs. Madrid hurled the last three innings for her team-high eighth win.

Against Cuesta, Archuleta went 2-for-3 with a triple and one RBI. Madrid fired a 5-hitter (three earned runs), walked none and struck out four. Centerfielder Angel Urbina and designated player Brittany Gonzales added run-scoring singles in a 3-run first inning for the Lancers. 

On Mar. 24 in a 7-4 loss at Citrus, Archuleta also was 2-for-3 and slugged a triple while Cabrera batted 2-for-3. Both stole a base.

The Lancers, 11-2-1 in their last 14 games, host Chaffey in a SCC game on Thursday, 2:30 p.m. at Robinson Park.