Kylee Bauman hit two home runs and drove in 5 runs to lead the Santa Rosa Junior College softball team to a 7-0 win over Sierra College in the first game of a Big 8 Conference doubleheader Feb. 28 at Marv Mayes Field.
Sierra responded with a seven run fourth inning to defeat the Bear Cubs 8-3 in Game 2, dividing the conference matchup.
“In the first game, we were passing the bat really well and staying consistent with our energy each inning,” Bauman said. “Getting hits back to back and keeping that momentum going really helped us.”
Santa Rosa took control early in the opener. Bauman opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first inning before Niueni Elisara added an RBI single to center field to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Bear Cubs widened the margin in the fourth inning. Kaylee Caselli drove in Elisara with a single before Bauman launched a three-run home run to left field, scoring Mira Olvera, Caselli and Alyssa Rivers to push the lead to 7-0.
Santa Rosa’s pitching staff preserved the shutout. Brook Myhre allowed 1 hit in 2 scoreless innings before Mia Avila closed the game with 5 shutout innings in relief.
“My drop ball was working really well,” Avila said. “They had a lot of left-handed hitters, so I focused on getting that pitch in on them. Mixing the drop and rise and working up and down helped a lot.”
Santa Rosa struck first again in the second game when Bauman hit a 2-run home run in the first inning to give the Bear Cubs a 2-0 lead.
Sierra cut into the deficit in the third inning before erupting in the fourth. Claudia Dudek delivered the key swing with a 3-run home run to right-center field as the Wolverines scored 7 runs in the inning to take an 8-2 lead.
“When they had that inning where they came out hitting, it definitely shifted the momentum,” Bauman said. “But we have the capability to bring that energy back.”
Santa Rosa scored once in the bottom of the fourth when Mira Olvera doubled to left-center field to score Emma Wallace, trimming the deficit to 8-3.
Despite finishing with 12 hits, the Bear Cubs struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities.
“In the first game, we were better at rallying hits together,” Avila said. “In the second game, we left too many runners on base. We had the hits, but they were scattered instead of coming together.”
Catcher Angel Amesa said the team’s communication also slipped as Sierra’s rally built.
“When we realized they might actually be in it and want it more that game, we got a little worried,” Amesa said. “Our communication dropped and we started hesitating.”
Outfielder Emma Wallace said projecting communication from the outfield can be difficult during momentum swings.
“I play outfield, so it can be hard for my voice to reach the infield sometimes,” Wallace said. “Maybe just trying to project more and communicate a little louder.”
Head coach Madison Green said the team focused on staying composed despite the momentum shift.
“Games are really long,” Green said. “We saw Sierra put seven runs up in one inning, but we know we’re capable of doing the same thing. We just try to take it one play and one inning at a time.”
Green said earning a split against a Sierra team that entered the day undefeated in conference play was still a positive result.
“The Big 8 Conference is really tough,” Green said. “To come away with a split against a team that was undefeated in conference, I’ll take that. It’s a good step for us.”
Santa Rosa continued conference play with a 7-0 win over Modesto Junior College on March 3.
The Bear Cubs followed with a split in another Big 8 Conference doubleheader at American River College on March 7, winning the opener 11-7 before falling 8-0 in five innings.
Santa Rosa closed out nonconference play by defeating Ohlone College in a doubleheader March 11 at Marv Mayes Field. The Bear Cubs won the opener 22-4 and secured an 8-0 victory in the second game, which ended in five innings.
Santa Rosa continued to dominate Big 8 Conference play with a sweep of Diablo Valley College in Saturday’s doubleheader at Marv Mayes Field, winning 17-1 in the opener, and 14-1 in the second game.
The Bear Cubs return to play against the Sacramento City Panthers at 3 p.m. March 17 in Sacramento.
