LoneTree's slam helps Vaqueros split a day-night doubleheader

Emily LoneTree drilled a grand slam in the first inning on Saturday and SBCC went on to defeat Golden West 7-3 at Pershing Park. In a night game that started at 4:15 p.m., the Glendale Vaqueros built leads of 5-0, 7-1 and 11-3 on the way to a 12-8 win over the SBCC Vaqueros.

SBCC (3-7) won its third in a row in the first game of the tripleheader. Golden West and Glendale played a slugfest in the 1 p.m. contest with the Rustlers (7-5) posting a 12-11 walk-off win with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

The Vaqueros loaded the bases in the first inning of the opener on a single by Lauren Del Campo, a hit-by-pitch by Taylor Tibbels and a walk to Sinai Miranda. LoneTree then unloaded her second homer in as many days with a blast over the left-center field fence.

LoneTree was 2-3 with four RBIs in the first game and 2-3 with one RBI in the second.

LoneTree has a five-game hitting streak and leads the team in batting average (.406), doubles (5), homers (2), RBI (8) and slugging percentage (.750).

"That was awesome," said SBCC coach Justine Bosio. "It's really cool when you get to see your girls have success and obviously home runs are great but it's awesome to see her teammates getting on ahead of her to set her up. A lot of times, that's not talked about."

The Vaqueros scored three more in the second to boost the lead to 7-0. Tibbels drove in Cheyenne Walker with a sacrifice fly and starting pitcher Paige Powell had a two-run single to left.

Powell (3-3), a sophomore left-hander from San Marcos High, tossed all seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on 11 hits.

In the nightcap, SBCC got off to a poor start with a dropped ball at first by the second baseman and a mishandled catch leading to five unearned runs. Carson Dunckley walked three of first four batters and two more reached base on an error and a fielder's choice.

Glendale (4-11) expanded the lead to 7-1 and then scored four in the fifth to make it 11-3. The hometown Vaqueros battled back with two in the fifth, one in the sixth when Tibbels was hit again with the bases loaded, and two in the seventh. Tibbels was hit three times in eight plate appearances.

SBCC, trailing 12-6, got a single from Naomi Churchill and a double from pinch-hitter Hannah Weaver with one out in the seventh. After the second out was made, Del Campo delivered an RBI single and Skylar Gothan doubled in Weaver. The Vaqueros loaded the bases when Tibbels was hit by a pitch but Reagan Atallah got the final out on a grounder by Sinai Miranda that turned into a forceout at third.

Gothan, a freshman catcher from Fernley, Nevada, was 3-5 with an RBI in the second game.

Dunckley gave up seven runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings vs. Glendale but only two runs were earned. Powell pitched the last 3.1 innings and was touched for five runs on six hits.

The Vaqueros had 13 hits in their first night game of the year and stranded 11 baserunners.

"I told the girls I was proud of the way they rallied after being down, especially our seventh-inning rally with two outs," said Bosio. "Our goal should be to not ever put ourselves in position to have to come back and rally. We chipped away every inning and maybe a couple of hits here or there or Taylor doesn't get hit twice and knocks one to the wall, things could have been different."

The Vaqueros will host College of the Canyons (9-3) from the WSC East in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 1 and 3 p.m.