Softball: Vikings snap six-year losing streak to Mt. SAC with 8-2 win over 14th-ranked Mounties

It has been a season of highs and lows for head coach Melissa Angel and the Long Beach City College Softball team. With just three games left on the regular-season schedule heading into today, the Vikings picked up likely their biggest win, an 8-2 victory over No. 14 state-ranked Mt. San Antonio College.

The win also snapped a 19-game losing streak to the Mounties dating back to the 2009 season. Long Beach last beat Mt. SAC 4-3 at LBCC on March 17 of that '09 season.

Sophomore Mary Gonzales (Banning HS) went the distance in today's victory, as she scattered eight hits and allowed just one earned run over seven innings. She struck out three and walked none while improving her record to 10-15 on the season.

Mt. SAC (26-11, 13-5 SCC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after taking advantage of a Viking error to score a run. But Long Beach came right back to jump ahead, using a six-run, second-inning to take a commanding 6-1 advantage. With the bases loaded and no outs, freshman Vanessa Valdez (Lakewood HS) delivered the biggest blow, a bases-clearing double.

Freshman Gabrielle De La Vega also had a big game at the plate for LBCC, going 3 for 3 with a run. Freshman Doreen Corella (San Pedro HS) had a RBI single and sophomore Amanda Sandoval (North Torrance HS) also drove in a run with a double in the fifth inning.

With the win, Long Beach improved to 13-14-1 overall and 6-13 in South Coast Conference play. LBCC closes out the season with home games against El Camino College on Thursday (Apr. 16) and East Los Angeles College next Tuesday (Apr. 21).