Vaqueros suffer second straight 9-1 setback

Brianna Bernal held SBCC to one run on four hits on Saturday and the Vaqueros dropped their second straight 9-1 softball decision in less than 24 hours. Chaffey (10-6) rapped out 12 hits to earn the five-inning victory in a non-conference game that was played at Ventura College due to unplayable conditions at Pershing Park.

Left fielder Kayana Diaz went 2-4 for the Vaqueros (4-10). Shelby Featherston staked the Vaqueros to a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single up the middle that scored Diaz, who reached on a fielder's choice and went to second when Paige Powell walked.

Featherston, a freshman outfielder from Lodi, is batting .368 with a team-high 14 RBIs. She has a five-game hitting streak with a .500 average (8-16) during that span.

The Panthers sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs in the second. They put up another four-spot in the fourth to go ahead 8-1.

Shortstop Alyssa Diaz paced Chaffey's offense, going 2-4 with three RBIs.

"It was a struggle again today," said Vaquero coach Justine Bosio. "Yesterday we faced a pretty good team [at Santiago Canyon]. We need to go back and be very fundamental and get ready for conference on Tuesday. We definitely need to make some adjustments."

The Vaqueros had a few players in different positions because shortstop Emily LoneTree had to miss her second straight game for personal reasons. Carson Dunckley went from catcher to shortstop and Janet Salas switched from center field to catcher.

"We had some players in different positions and they practiced there but it's really no excuse," said Bosio. "We'll have a good practice on Monday and get ready for a busy week."

The Vaqueros will play five games in five days and they're all on the road. They'll travel to Moorpark (Tuesday) and Santa Monica (Thursday) for WSC contests at 2:30 p.m., then play three non-conference opponents – Friday at Citrus and two on Saturday at San Diego City against the Knights and Imperial Valley.