Long Beach Softball Clutches Up to Defeat East LA in Extra Innings

It took extra innings to decide a winner in a contest that featured the Long Beach City College softball team hosting the East Los Angeles College Huskies on Tuesday evening. After Long Beach struck first in bottom of the second inning, the Huskies plated a sixth-inning run to tie the score. However, it was the Vikings who had the last say by pushing across the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to seal the deal with a 2-1 victory.

Bats were slow to come around for both squads, but the Vikings were able to strike first in the bottom of the second frame by taking advantage of an East LA defensive miscue.

Sophomore second baseman Daisy Velasquez (Bellflower, CA) led off the inning with a single and quickly found herself in scoring position after freshman first baseman Julia Juarez (Long Beach, CA) moved her over with a fielder's choice. Velasquez came around to score a batter later via error to hand the Vikings a 1-0 advantage.

Freshman starter Alissa Cienfuegos (Carson, CA) got the nod for the start and was dominant through her first five frames. Throughout her first five innings of work, she recorded three strikeouts and allowed just four earned base runners.

However, Cienfuegos began to labor in the top of the sixth inning as the Huskies were able to tie the contest up at 1-1. Freshman reliever Vanessa Montanez (Lakewood, CA) entered the contest and wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam by recording a strikeout for the final out of the sixth inning.

Montanez continued to chuck the ball effectively by tossing up a goose egg in the top of the seventh inning and handing the duties off to her offense in the bottom of the seventh.

Velasquez clutched up as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning and poked a single up the middle. Juarez advance Velasquez to second base via sacrifice bunt, setting up a runner on second with one out. Freshman center fielder Alvia Soulliere (Paramount, CA) reentered the contest after suffering an injury and barreled a two-out double to right-center field, but Velasquez was gunned down at home on a perfect throw by the Huskies center fielder, eventually forcing extra innings.

The Vikings regained composure and rebounded in the bottom of the eight with yet another two-out rally. After two quick outs, freshman right fielder Alijah Vega (Bellflower, CA) came up huge with a two-out double that split the gap in left-center field to place her in scoring position. Freshman shortstop Amanda McCalip (Bellflower, CA) followed by hitting a slow dribbler to the third baseman who unleashed an errant throw, sending Vega home for the game-winning run and a 2-1 victory.

"I feel fortunate to have a strong bullpen with a strong closer in Vanessa Montanez and she did her job today," explained Head Coach Megan Martinez. "We kept putting the ball in play and finally one came through for us."

After a masterful job out of the bullpen, Montanez earned the win after chucking 2.1 innings and fanning a pair of batters. Cienfuegos performed very well by striking out four batters and scattering five hits.

McCalip came up with the big hit for the Vikings, while Velasquez finished the day going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Vega sparked the bottom of the eighth rally with a double as well.

"This is what we are about – not giving up and keep pushing," explained Martinez.

The road ahead reads difficult as they Viking's will face Chaffey College for their first conference game on Thursday, February 16th on the road.

"Everyone in the South Coast Conference and junior college ball in California plays hard. I feel like we are the mecca of softball and we just have to bring our 'A' game every single day. We are going to battle every day and there are no days off for us."