El Camino softball shuts out East LA College in South Coast Conference game

By Ana Gamez • May 4, 2026

It was the bottom of the fourth inning and Warriors’ softball utility Miranda Morelos was on first when the Huskies called a timeout and huddled at the pitcher’s mound, strategizing their next move.

When play resumed and the Warriors were at bat, Morelos sprinted from first to second base. Then Huskies catcher Esther Zabala fired the ball, while Morelos dove headfirst onto second base. As the tag came down, the umpire called her safe.

Keeping the momentum going, Warriors’ infielder Kate Pedroza stepped up to the plate and hit a pop-up towards second base. While the Huskies’ defense fumbled the ball, Morelos scored the first run of the game.

(L-R) El Camino College third baseman Kamaile Ho and shortstop Kate Pedroza walk off the field together after the end of an inning at the ECC softball field on Thursday, April 2. (Ryan Hirabayashi | The Union)

That momentum kept going for the rest of the game, leading the El Camino College Warriors softball team to defeat the East Los Angeles College Huskies 3-0 Thursday, April 2, at their home field in a South Coast Conference game.

This is the third time this season the Warriors played against the Huskies and won. The first matchup, a home game Tuesday, Feb. 10, saw an 8-0 shutout.

Then the Warriors muzzled the Huskies on their home field with a 5-2 win Thursday, March 5.

El Camino College second baseman Sophia Munguia leans to avoid an inside pitch at the ECC softball field on Thursday, April 2. (Ryan HIrabayashi | The Union)

“It [scoring] was just a confidence booster for the rest of the team [because] it got the energy going, and after that, everyone else started coming along, stringing hits together,” Morelos said. “We just kept the energy up after that.”

Pitcher Estrella Tapia threw a complete game shutout, pitching seven innings. While several Huskies reached base, the Warriors’ strong defense stopped them from scoring a run.

“I don’t think we did bad, our energy was low, we made some errors, but our defense was really good,” Huskies infielder Sebrena Lopez said. “We just need to find a groove in hitting.”

El Camino College right fielder Athena Singer slides in for the third Warriors score at the ECC softball field on Thursday, April 2. Singer and the Warriors shut out the East LA Huskies 3 – 0 to achieve a 21 – 9 overall record and are now 13 – 4 in league play. (Ryan Hirabayashi | The Union)

At the bottom of the sixth inning, the Warriors solidified their win when infielder Emma Padilla reached first base on a throwing error by the Huskies, which allowed outfielder Athena Singer to steal home, extending the lead 3-0.

“The pitcher kept us off balance. We just caught a couple breaks at the right time. It was just about trying to play clean on defense, not make any errors, not give them any free bases,” Warriors’ coach Michael Smith said.