Salas hits fifth homer in 13-1 rout of Santa Monica

Monica Salas drilled her fifth home run during a six-run third inning on Thursday and Isabella Gregson tossed a three-hitter as SBCC routed Santa Monica 13-1 in a five-inning WSC North softball game at Pershing Park.

It was just the fourth home game in 21 outings for the Vaqueros (11-10, 6-6). They're 4-0 at home with 69 runs (17.3 average) and a .491 batting average. The Corsairs fell to 1-9 overall and 1-9 in conference.

Sydney Townes went 3-4 with three RBIs and two runs, raising her average to .380. She had a two-run triple in the fourth that made it 13-1. Madison McNamee was 2-3 and Salas went 1-2 with a three-run homer in the third.

"Our offense has been struggling lately and we haven't been disciplined," said Salas, a former Dos Pueblos High standout who's played second base, third base and shortstop this year. "We tried to focus on staying within ourselves at the plate and that showed in the score.

"In the third inning, I had the mindset of just trying to hit a ball up the middle and it turned into a home run."

Lauren Hope Ballard walked and Alyssa Richter singled before Salas' long homer to left-center. It was her second homer in three games and she has five of her team's 12 home runs.

The Vaqueros got three unearned runs in the first and two more in the second on a sacrifice fly by Salas and an RBI single by Alyssa Richter. They scored six in the third on four hits, a walk and an error.

Gregson (3-2), a freshman from Bishop Diego High, gave up one run on three singles with five strikeouts and no walks.

The Vaqueros collected 10 hits, three stolen bases and didn't commit an error.

"It was a great day offensively with Monica and Syd getting some nice hits," said coach Paula Congleton. "The discipline has been pretty good at the plate. Psychologically, this will get us ready for the Bash at the Beach. We've got to keep working through some things, stay focused mentally and try to get a little healthier.

"That was a good complete game by Bella. It was nice to rest our other pitchers and have them ready for the weekend."

Congleton has been impressed by Salas' play this year.

"She's done a wonderful job for us as a true utility player," she stated. "She's played anywhere we've asked her to, she works hard and she always has a positive attitude."

The Vaqueros will host their annual Bash at the Beach on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, they'll take on Golden West (noon) and Orange Coast (4 p.m.). On Sunday, they'll battle Saddleback (11 a.m.) and Fullerton (3 p.m.).