Orange Coast College

Softball swept by Imperial Valley

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

COSTA MESA - Death, taxes and scoring runs following two-out walks. All three seem inevitable.

Such was the case for the Orange Coast College softball team, who saw Imperial Valley plate four runs in the fifth inning following a dreaded two-out walk en route to a 6-2 win over the Pirates in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader.

The Arabs followed that up with a 6-4 win over OCC in Game 2.

Leading 2-0 after four innings, the two-out walk by IVC was followed by a single, an RBI double and a two-run single, giving the Arabs the lead for good. The fourth run of the inning was scored on a wild pitch.

Sarah Marquez went 3-for-4 with a run and three RBI, while P.J. Enders added two hits -- both doubles -- and two RBI.

Hard-luck righthander Jessica Albach picked up the loss, despite a solid outing. She allowed six runs (five earned), walking two and striking out one along the way.

OCC jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Aldrich reached on a field choice, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third, then scored on a squeeze bunt off the bat of Paulina Rodriguez.

The lead doubled in the fourth for the Pirates when Allison Wyman walked with one out, stole second, then scored on an RBI single by Ashley Coia.

But that would be it for the OCC offense in the opener as Arab righty Jennifer Aguilar retired nine of the final 10 batters she faced to pick up the complete-game win.

In the second game, again, OCC jumped out in front as a pair of hits and a pair of IVC errors plated a pair of Pirate runs.

A Pirate error got IVC back to within a run at 2-1 before the Arabs returned the favor as a dropped fly ball turned into a three-base error off the bat of Wyman. She scored one batter later as Coia singled to center to bring her in.

But the Arabs came marching back, tying the game at 3 in the third inning with a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Marquez, who finished the nightcap with 3-for-3 with a run and two RBI.

OCC regained the lead in the fourth when Wyman (1-for-3, two runs in Game 2) reached on an infield single, went to second on a single to center by Coia (2-for-3), stole third and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

But Imperial Valley would take the lead for good in the top of the fifth. A RBI-double by Elia Felix tied the game and a two-out fielding error by the Pirates plated the Arabs' fifth run of the game. They would tack on an insurance run in the sixth and roll from there as Felix earned the win in relief, retiring nine of the final 10 batters she would face.

OCC returns to action on Friday with a doubleheader at Grossmont, beginning at noon.