Vaqueros Fall in Nailbiter Against Moorpark

By Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara City College Softball team dropped a nailbiter to conference foe Moorpark on Tuesday at Pershing Park. The 11-8 scoreline was aided by three ties and two lead changes in the final three innings.

Before Santa Barbara could even get an out, Moorpark had a 2-0 lead. The visitors would tack on another run before the inning ended, but Gracie Verdugo's single scored Bella Cox—who led off the bottom half with a single and stole second—to make it 3-1 Moorpark after one.

After a surprisingly scoreless second inning—the only one of the game—Ruby Bartholomew also singled home Cox in the third to shrink the deficit to 3-2. An RBI double and two-run homer from Moorpark gave them a 6-2 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth, of which the Vaqueros also scored three runs. Cox's third hit in as many at bats was an RBI double, and Bartholomew's subsequent two-RBI double made it 6-5 Moorpark.

The Vaqueros took their first and only lead in the bottom of the fifth. Not a hit this time, but a sacrifice fly from Cox scored Mei Frank, now 7-6 Santa Barbara.

It was unfortunately short-lived, though. Moorpark plated two in the top of the sixth, but a run-scoring error in the bottom half tied the game at 8-8 heading into the final inning.

Moorpark's bats proved just quite too much to hold back. Four hits and a walk scored three runs in the top of the seventh, giving the Raiders an 11-8 lead to hold. The Vaqueros went three up, three down to finish the high-scoring affair.

As alluded to, Bella Cox had an incredibly productive day at the plate, going three-for-four with a double, sacrifice fly, and three runs scored. She also stole two bases. Ruby Bartholomew equally reached base three times with a double, single, and walk, and drove in three runs to lead the team.

Next up for the Vaqueros is an away conference game at Oxnard this Thursday at 2 p.m. They return home next Tuesday to host Hancock, also at 2 p.m.