COD Softball rolls on Sophomore Day, clobbers Knights in 5 innings, 10-1

COD (4-24; 2-13) brought ten players to the plate in the first inning and moved forward from there, throwing aside the San Diego City Knights (5-27; 1-13), 10-1 in five innings.

Sophomore center fielder Malissa Nielsen (Palm Desert H.S.) had a spectacular day at the plate as she went 3 for 3, collecting a hit in each of the first three innings and scored twice, while hitting out of the three hole in the lineup on a very warm Sophomore Day. 

Freshman third baseman Rebecca Alford (Thermal Coachella Valley) was also dynamic on the afternoon, going 2 for 2, with a walk, scoring a run and grabbing two runs batted in, as the team destroyed an eight game losing streak.

Sophomore left handed starting pitcher Amanda Martinez (Indio H.S.), in her last home start for Desert, made the most of it and collected her first win of 2017, tossing four innings of shutout softball, surrendering a hit, walking one and striking out three.

Sophomore second base Angelika Cabanyog (Indio Shadow Hills) played in her first game since March 1st and went 1 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI in an emotional return to the field for her final home game.

Desert would get on the board first in the bottom of the sixth, as the Roadrunners sent ten players to the plate in the inning. Sophomore short stop Taylor Stone (Palm Desert H.S.) led off the inning, reaching base on a fielding error by the Knights, Martinez would hit into a fielder's choice, knocking Stone out and then the avalanche started.

Nielsen would single to left, putting runners at first and second base with one out. Sophomore catcher Darbie Catalfamo (Indio Shadow Hills) would punish a double to left, scoring Martinez and after sophomore left fielder Yizel Nunez (Beaumont H.S.) reached on an infield bunt, the bases were loaded with one out.

Alford singled to center and moved to second on the throw, as both Nielsen and Catalfamo scored to give Desert a 3-0 lead and then Cabanyog punched a single to left and score Nunez. The big blow came when freshman first baseman Saki Hirata (Tokushima (Japan) Joto) smashed a double to right, which bounced fair and sailed into foul ground, clearing the bases and scoring Cabanyog and Alford. After the Roadrunners secured a 6-0 lead with only one out, the Knights coaching staff had seen enough and chased their starting pitcher into left field.

The second inning put the game effectively out of reach for the Knights, as the Roadrunners plated two more runners and made the score 8-0. Martinez led off the inning with a single to left and Nielsen followed that up with a single to center, after a wild pitch, both runners were in scoring position. Then both Catalfamo and Nunez hit sacrifice flies, scoring Martinez and Nielsen.

In the bottom of the third, Desert stranded three runners, but more than made up for it in the fourth, as the Roadrunners added two more insurance runs. Alford would grab a one out walk and Cabanyog reached on a fielder's choice, which tagged Alford out. Freshman first baseman Keana Tolentino (Cathedral City H.S.) would snag a two out walk and freshman right fielder Anissa Madrid (Desert Hot Springs H.S.) would bring home Cabanyog on an error by the Knights short stop. Back to the top of the lineup and Stone would reach on an error by the first baseman, who dropped the rocket throw from the San Diego City third baseman, scoring Tolentino.

The Knights would add a run in the top of the fifth.

Photo by Britney Vargas (COD Sports Information)
Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.