ANTELOPE VALLEY HARASSES LA VALLEY IN 11-5 VICTORY

By MATTHEW ROBINSON

Even though the Antelope Valley Marauders softball team had an innocuous 2-0 lead early in the game, it was clear that they had the Los Angeles Valley Monarchs (LAVC) worried throughout today's game. The Marauders used many opportunistic at-bats including an inside the park home run to push aside the Monarchs 11-5 at the LAVC Softball Field.

The Marauders (10-10 overall, 3-1 Western States Blue) used just one pitcher in freshman NAELYSE GARCIA, who didn't have a top-shelf pitching performance. But she did hold the Monarchs' batting order to a moderate performance.

The Monarchs (6-9 overall, 3-1 WSB) also used just one pitcher in sophomore JENNA MANRIQUEZ, who had a hard time limiting the Marauders to less than eventful innings. She had a 3.12 ERA coming into this game, which included 27 strikeouts. But she had a hard time with both of those pitching categories against one of the top batting orders [Antelope Valley] in the Western States Blue Conference.

At the top of the fourth inning, the Marauders extended their lead to 4-0 when Garcia smacked a two-run home run just over the center field fence.

Valley cut the Marauders lead to 4-2 at the bottom of the fourth inning, when outfielder ABIGAIL GUILLEN hit a two-run homer that also scored her teammate in third basewoman CRISTINA COLON. That was Guillen's first home run of the year and her sixth RBI of the year as well.

But the Marauders countered with a home run by pitcher MARIA ACOSTA at the top of the fifth inning to move their lead to 5-2. 

In that same inning, the Marauders extended their lead when a walk by catcher JENNIFER LITTLEJOHN-----amid bases loaded-----scored ANGELICA OCHOA from third base.

To further the Monarchs' misery in the top of the fifth inning, Marauder catcher SALLY MIRAMONTES came up and secured a fielder's-choice play that scored PRISCILLA PANIZO from third base. That RBI by Miramontes nudged the score to 7-2.

But the fifth inning mercifully ended when Marauder infielder DOLLY STEVENS hit a pop-fly to left field that was caught by Monarchs left fielder DEZERAE CASARES.

At the top of the sixth inning, Panizo hit a base hit to center field that scored outfielder ERICA SERFOSS which gave the Marauders an 8-2 lead.

Monarch outfielder SABRINA JUAREZ took care of a sacrifice hit, that enabled Colon and Guillen to score; with the latter barely beating the tag of the Marauder catcher which cut the Marauders lead to 8-4. Those scores gave Juarez eleven RBI's for the 2016 season which leads Monarch outfielders.

Later, Manriquez took care of a base hit that scored outfielder JULIANA LOPEZ to again cut the Marauders lead to 8-5 at the bottom of the sixth inning.

But the Marauders weren't done scoring because at the top of the seventh inning, Serfoss hit a Manriquez pitch to left field that scored not only Serfoss, but her teammates Littlejohn and Stevens who were on first and second base respectively.

That Serfoss hit secured an inside the park home run. Because of that inside the park home run, the score ballooned to 11-5. The top of the seventh was mercifully ended by a pop-fly catch by Juarez.

The Marauders ended the game at the bottom of the seventh inning, when Garcia struck out Monarch first basewoman MARIBEL GUTIERREZ.