The Warriors gathered in a huddle, their heads bowed and hands clasped together tightly, forming an unbreakable ring of solidarity on the field.
The air was thick with eager anticipation despite the ominous gray clouds that hung above the field, and a shared silent prayer for protection and triumph vibrated through the El Camino College Softball team.
As they broke from their tight-knit huddle, a surge of determination signaled the onset of a battle. The Warriors lost to Long Beach City College twice this season. On their third face-off on April 25, the final day of the regular season, the Warriors toppled the Vikings 3-1.
El Camino College pitcher and graphic design major Kathryn Gutierrez, 20, was excellent on the plate conceding one unearned run on six hits and tallying two strikeouts against a tough lineup.
“My mindset was just one pitch at a time, to take my time and to trust my defense,” Gutierrez said. “We played amazing compared to the other two games against them, we came out strong and then we finished strong.”
The Warriors ignited their offense gradually, with a strategy to slowly fuel the flames of their attack.
“We changed the method of how we approached, instead of velocity we decided to slow down the game,” Warriors coach Enrique Cruz said.
In the bottom of the first inning, infielder Malia Martin lined out to center field, a sacrifice fly, resulting in an RBI where infielder Emma Garcia scored.
Julianna Vasquez’s sharp single to right field drove in an RBI, with Gianna Gachupin reaching third and Cheyenne Navarro scoring.
The first inning concluded with two runs, one hit and two left on base.
The Vikings swung with power throughout the second inning but got trapped in the slower-paced pitches from the Warriors.
“They threw their slowest pitching which was smart of them and disabled us from sticking to our plan,” Vikings coach Megan Martinez said.
In the third inning, the Warriors lost a bit of their fire, missing catches and letting the Vikings score one run.
Viking infielder Anaya Togia reached first on a fielding error by the shortstop; Robin Garcia advanced to second and Xiomei Geluz scored, unearned.
In the top of the fifth inning, Garcia gave a sacrifice bunt, letting the runner from first make it to third base, then allowing Garcia to quickly take second.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Warriors added an insurance run when Navarro flew out to center field on a sacrifice fly to score psychology major Anahi Pintado, 19, who got on base earlier in the inning on a single.
“My catch was scary,” Pintado said. “But even in those high-pressure situations, I know that my teammates have my back.”
In the sixth inning, after the leadoff hitter reached base due to a throwing error, Gutierrez secured the final three consecutive outs to end the game, sealing the Warriors’ triumph with a score of 3-1.
The Warriors ended the season a strong 28-12 and will start their postseason hosting Moorpark College in the 3C2A Southern California Regional Playoffs on May 3, where their goal is “to win,” Cruz said.
“We’ve learned how to win,” Warriors coach Jessica Rapoza said. “We’ve taken all 40 games to mature as a team and now we’re excited to just go out and see who our opponent is and go get them.”
Next Game
El Camino vs Moorpark (3C2A Southern California Regionals)
@ El Camino
Friday, May 3, 2 p.m.
