When the Warriors have runners in scoring position this season, freshman third baseman Maleigha Quintero tends to get the job done at the plate.
Quintero did just that on Tuesday, blasting a two-RBI triple to deep right-center field in the bottom of the sixth inning to break up a tie score and give the Warriors a late advantage over the visitors.
The El Camino softball team (17-11) survives against the top team in the South Coast Conference with a 9-7 victory over Mt. San Antonio College (21-3).
“I felt great (today),” Quintero said. “We all had a really good vibe and we wanted to win really bad. I know we had a couple errors but we didn’t let them get to us, (and) we did a good job getting the first out which really helps set the tone for the rest of the inning.
Mt. SAC has been dominant this season and was able to escape with a 4-3 victory in the first meeting between these two teams. The Mounties entered this game on a 10-game win streak.
The scoring began early as the Mounties opened up the game by taking a 2-0 lead on a error and a couple of unearned runs given up by the home team.
The Warriors didn’t lose focus and answered back with a five-run bottom half of the first inning, including a bases clearing three-RBI double from Quintero.
Great defense from both teams kept the battle tied through five innings, until the Warriors sealed the victory with a three-run sixth inning.
“We did really good being aggressive (at the plate) and taking hacks at our pitches,” Warriors assistant coach Kaitlyn Hooper said. “Our pitchers did good putting zeros on the board, but it was the defense as a whole that played better as a unit today.”
Freshman pitcher Natalie Francis struck out six batters through five full innings, while allowing seven hits and six runs before Cassandra Vasquez entered in the sixth inning to receive the win. Francis returned to pitch in the top of the seventh inning, earning her first save of the season.
El Camino tallied a total of 11 hits in 28 at-bats, while the Mounties finished with seven hits in 27 at-bats.
Quintero accounted for two huge hits in four plate appearances, racking up a total of five RBIs in the game.
Freshman center fielder Raelani Camez was dominant at the plate as well, with three hits in four at-bats. Freshmen catcher Brigid Antonelli, pitcher Haley Reed, and first baseman Kammy Fisher also added two hits each for the Warriors.
“I felt good (at the plate), and I just did what I was supposed to do for my team,” Camez said. “We had a game plan and we stuck to it, and just tried to stay aggressive on offense.”
The Warriors’ host El Camino-Compton Center (0-19) on Thursday at 3 p.m.
