Pullen tosses 5-hitter in 15-1 triumph over Oxnard

Rebecca Pullen threw a five-hitter on Friday and Lauren Hope Ballard went 2-3 with three RBIs, leading SBCC to a 15-1, five-inning softball win over Oxnard at Pershing Park.

The Vaqueros (15-12, 8-6 WSC North) improved to 7-2 at home in the opener of a seven-game homestand. SBCC is sixth in the nine-team WSC North, which is led by Hancock (10-2) and Ventura (10-3). Oxnard fell to 6-19 and 4-10.

Pullen, a sophomore from Henderson, Nev., gave up one run on five hits with one strikeout and three walks.

The Vaqueros built an 8-0 lead after three innings, then erupted for seven runs on six hits and two walks in the fourth. They sent 11 batters to the plate and the first seven scored. Ballard's two-run single to the right-field fence made it 14-1.

The top four batters in the Vaquero lineup – Sydney Townes, Ballard, Madison McNamee and Monica Salas – went 7-for-11 (.636) with seven runs and eight RBIs. McNamee and Salas were 2-3 and Townes had an RBI double in the second and another in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk.

The Vaqueros posted lopsided wins the last two days at L.A. Pierce and home vs. Oxnard, outscoring the opponents by a combined 35-4 with 34 hits, including two homers, two triples and 13 doubles.

The Vaqueros drew seven walks from two Condor pitchers and four came around to score. SBCC is averaging 10.9 runs at home and 7.0 for the season.

"We had the same approach the last two days and that was to concentrate on our hitting and really work on each player getting their best hits," said coach Paula Congleton. "We wanted to stabilize our defense and we did that with no errors in the two games."
 
Santa Barbara could have scored more but Congleton didn't send a couple of runners from third base on wild pitches and they took a couple of outs by intentionally leaving bases early to end the fourth. Oxnard only had nine players.

"It's common courtesy not to pour it on when you know a team is down and struggling," Congleton stated. "They're down a few players due to injuries and they're not the same team we played when we played them at their place (sweeping a doubleheader 6-2 and 4-2 on Feb. 23)."

The Vaqueros are a perfect 13-0 when they score six or more runs and 2-12 when they get five or less. They're also 13-2 when they outhit their opponent.

The Vaqueros will host Moorpark in a WSC doubleheader on Tuesday at 1 & 3 p.m.