Nine-Run Fourth Inning Gives Dons Win over Riverside
After trailing 6-0, the Dons put up nine runs in a hurry to get their first Orange Empire Conference win of the season.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 3 |
SANTA ANA - The Dons bounced back from an early 6-0 deficit with a nine-run fourth inning to defeat Riverside City College 9-6 and earn their first Orange Empire Conference victory of the season. The win lifts the Dons record to 6-9 overall and 1-2 in the OEC while Riverside falls to 5-5 and 2-2.
The big rally in the fourth inning came after the Dons were held to just two hits in the first three innings, including having the first eight batters of the game retired in order. After two singles were left stranded in the third inning, the Dons sent 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning while getting seven hits in the process.
The highlight of the fourth inning came on Christina McCullogh's grand slam that put the Dons up for good. It was McCullogh who also started the inning with a leadoff single before scoring the Dons first run on a two-run single by Karina Munoz that also scored Allison Benitez. Alexandra Hernandez and Desiree Hernandez followed with a pair of RBI-singles before Madison Graham drew a bases-loaded walk to make the score 6-5 in favor of Riverside, just before McCullogh's grand slam.
The Tigers built their 6-0 lead with two runs in the first inning on a Hunter LaCroix double before scoring four more times in the third inning. In Riverside's four-run third inning, the Tigers had five hits and were aided by a SAC error. Riverside managed just four hits for the remainder of the game after that inning.
Desiree Hernandez (4-4) got the win for the Dons as she settled down in the latter innings of the game. Her final line was six runs, all earned, on 12 hits in seven innings while striking out two batters and not allowing a single walk. Laura Mendez (2-3) took the loss for Riverside as she allowed nine runs, all earned, on 11 hits in six innings.
