Stellar hitting by freshman catcher Ashley Machado helped the El Camino softball team to their 19th consecutive victory as they beat visiting Cerritos College, 8-2, on Thursday.

In the top of the fourth inning, sophomore third baseman Brigid Antonelli went down for a couple minutes after going for a bouncing ball that was hit toward her. She stood up and walked to the dugout under her own power.

“It looked like a low hop, low hop and then (a) high hop,” EC coach Jessica Rapoza said, “(The softball) just got her real bad under the eye.”

Rapoza confirmed that Antonelli was feeling okay despite the incident. Antonelli was taken to the hospital to make sure she didn’t need surgery.

Rapoza said she was very proud of how her team came together after the injury to Antonelli.

“She’s one of our best players,” Rapoza said. “Our energy was elevated because they knew (Antonelli) would want it to be like that.”

Despite the loss of Antonelli for half the game, the Warriors played excellent. Sophomore first baseman Kamryn Fisher felt confident EC would bounce back from losing a key player.

“I was very proud on how everyone did their part,” Fisher said, “It’s nice to know that whoever is in will do their job when they need to.”

The Warriors scored eight runs on 12 hits in the game. Raelani Camez went 2-for-4 on the day with a single and an RBI triple. Machado went 3-for-4 by hitting two singles and a double while adding an RBI.

“I think our team chemistry is so good,” Rapoza said. “They really want each other to succeed. They really play for each other.”

Sophomore pitcher Haley Reed threw a complete game against Cerritos, allowing two runs on five hits while adding five strikeouts. Reed supported her cause on offense by going 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

“It’s always a good game against them,” Reed said, “I was confident (in) our defense and hitting.”

EC is back in action as they host El Camino-Compton Center on Tuesday, April 11. The first pitch is at 3 p.m.