Corsairs Continue to Come up Short
On Monday, Feb. 24, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs women’s softball team (0-2) fumbled an early lead against the Golden West College (GWC) Rustlers (9-2) to lose the game in a convincing fashion, 12-2. The Corsairs were looking to bounce back after their defeat to Glendale Community College, but the Rustlers made that a challenging feat.
Corsair pitcher Elizabeth Martinez started the first inning strong, only walking Rustlers' center fielder Abbie Rainwater, who subsequently gave the Corsairs their first out by leaving first base early. More Rustler plays included shortstop Reggi Frei grounding out to second, catcher Lola Weber singling to first, and third baseman Mya Santiago striking out, closing the top of the inning to give the Corsairs a strong start to the game.
The bottom of the first was the Corsairs’ strongest showing yet, becoming their most productive inning of the game. Corsair catcher Anahys Patino hit a single to first, their second baseman Danaly Santos reached first on a fielder's choice, and Patino was punched out at second.
The biggest moment for the Corsairs came when first baseman Hal’ia Jimenez hit a two-run home run to left field, bringing Santos in for double RBIs and putting the Corsairs up 2-0. Martinez then struck out to end the bottom of the first and the Corsairs began the next inning with an early lead.
The lead would not last as the Rustlers began bouncing back during the top of the second inning and scored six runs to lead the Corsairs 2-6. The Rustlers proceeded to score three runs during the top of the third and fourth innings, bringing their lead up to 12. Eyeing defeat, the Corsairs put in outfielder Sherlyn Bautista to replace Martinez as the pitcher for the rest of the game. During the top of the fifth inning, Bautisa and the Corsairs’ defense were able to keep the Rustlers from scoring, and they finished off the inning scoreless.
On the other hand, the Corsairs struggled after the second inning, as they remained hitless for the rest of the game. The matchup between the Corsairs and Rustlers ended during the bottom of the fifth via mercy rule, and the Rustlers came out on top defeating the Corsairs 12-2.
A number of issues on the defensive side continued for the Corsairs from the last game, like the number of batters walked (8), hits given up (12), and errors committed in play (2). The team also struggled offensively, only being able to record two hits all game. Still, the Corsairs remain positive for the rest of the season.
“A lot of it comes from confidence… having a set mentality going up in the box… just knowing what you're gonna do and what your job is… and just having pure confidence,” said Jimenez in an interview after the game. “There's no point in, you know, moping around… mourning of a play that went wrong or the score or anything,” she said. “Just picking your teammates up and keeping morale up… It's all about sportsmanship and picking each other up.”
The Corsairs, in search of their first victory, are looking towards an away game against L.A. Valley College on Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m. to mark their first win of the season.