Another 1-Run Decision As Softball Wins Conference Opener

For the fifth straight game, one run separated the Pasadena City College softball team from its opponents. The Lancers edged Cerritos, 3-2, on Thursday at Robinson Park in the South Coast Conference opener for both teams.

After losing all three of its meetings with the Falcons (5-5) last season, PCC (7-5 overall) once again turned to pitching ace Kiley Kraft and third baseman Jaimie Harris to lead the team to a close victory over the state's current #13 squad. Unranked, PCC is 3-3 in 1-run games and improved to 4-1 in home games.

Kraft (5-2) twirled her fifth complete game, limiting Cerritos to seven hits and one walk while striking out five. She also helped herself out at the plate by lining a RBI single in the second inning and driving a double down the left field line in the fifth with her team trailing 2-1. Pinch runner Gigi Leyva would later get plated on a run-scoring groundout to first by catcher Alyssa Guzman. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Harris roped a ground-rule double to center off Cerritos starter Courtney Callison and then took advantage of the wildness of Falcons reliever Richere Leduc, who fired back-to-back wild pitches to bring in Harris with the game-winning run. 

Kraft threw a 1-2-3 seventh with her battery mate Guzman gunning out a runner at first on a bunt and catching a popup behind home platee. 

In the fifth, Kraft received stellar defense from leftfielder Olivia Nanez, who snared one ball over her shoulder and caught a deep drive to the fence hit by Leduc. After Cerritos loaded the bases, Kraft got out of the jam by striking out Maddy Guillen.

The letterman lowered her team-best ERA to 1.46.

"Our team has been playing close, competitive games," said PCC head coach Monica Tantlinger. "They had some great heads up baserunning after hard contact to open innings. We still need to clutch up with runners on and tighten up on defense. But all in all, that's a huge win for us."

The Lancers host East Los Angeles on Friday, Mar. 3 in an early 12 noon start at Robinson Park. The game was originally scheduled at ELAC but poor field conditions forced a change to PCC's artificial turf surface at its off-campus field. 

  Olivia Nanez makees the catch at LF fence