Sports
GCC ends year on high note
Softball: Vaqueros rally from early three-run deficit to take season finale, 7-6, over visiting Bakersfield College.
By Dylan Kruse
NORTHEAST GLENDALE — After enduring 13 one-run losses throughout the course of its season, it seemed only fitting that the Glendale Community College softball team’s season finale would be decided by just a single score.
This time, however, the Vaqueros found a way to pull out a victory.
Glendale college shook off a sluggish start thanks to a clutch two-run double from Krista Smith in the fifth inning and strung together key bunts late in the game to rally past visiting Bakersfield College, 7-6, on Thursday at the Glendale Sports Complex.
The Western State Conference victory was extra sweet for Glendale (22-17, 14-10 in conference) as it sent sophomores Kelly Korras, Diana Garcia, Desiree Cunanan and Sarah Sardo out with a win in their final game as Vaqueros.
“It’s nice to finish the season going into next season with a win,” Vaqueros Coach Dave “Hawk” Wilder said. “There’s nothing like losing your last game. We played sloppy and we deserved to lose that game in a sloppy way, but to come back and beat them and not just give up [was nice].”
After falling behind 5-2 after two innings, the Vaqueros didn’t panic. Instead, they began to solidify a defense that committed four early errors and went back to the small-ball approach that helped them start the season 10-1.
“For probably one of the first times this season, we just went out and had fun,” said Korras, who has limited her college choices to Point Loma Nazarene or Chaminade University of Honolulu, both Division II schools.
And the fun, and comeback, began in the third inning.
Glendale High grad Melissa Legaspi, who singled twice and scored twice, scored on a Garcia sacrifice fly in the third to slash the Renegades’ lead to 5-3.
After tripling in the fourth, Smith was ushered home on a Cunanan flare that fell for a hit, making the score 5-4.
Bakersfield added a run in the top of the fifth, but Smith made sure that lead didn’t stand long.
With two outs, Smith laced a fly ball to left field that fell in for a double just in front of diving Renegades outfielder Brittney Johnson to score Garcia and Debbie Martin, knotting the game at 6 and setting up a dramatic sixth inning.
“That’s what brought us back in the game,” said Garcia of Smith’s hit.
In the sixth, catcher Kristina Nazarian led off with a bunt single and went to second on an errant throw.
Jocelyn Pedraza followed with a sacrifice bunt, moving Nazarian to third and brining Legaspi to the plate with the go-ahead run on third.
Legaspi promptly laid down a third consecutive bunt that was fielded by Renegades third baseman Celina Cruz. Cruz looked back Nazarian and threw to first, but as she released the ball, Nazarian broke for home and slid in safely just ahead of the return throw home for the winning run.
On the day, the Vaqueros collected three bunt hits and swiped three bags, bringing their season total to 120. The 120 steals is a school record and believed to be among the tops for a team in conference lore, Wilder said.
“We really didn’t execute the rest of the year with bunts,” Garcia said. “But this game, we executed.”
Korras, who went the distance in the circle to pick up the win, and the defense of the Vaqueros, who topped College of the Canyons on Tuesday, limited the Renegades to just one run over the final five frames.
“It was kind of frustrating because, like last year, we were losing a lot of close, one-run games where we made errors, we weren’t getting hits at the right times,” Korras said. “So, it feels good to go out with two wins in a row.”
This time, however, the Vaqueros found a way to pull out a victory.
Glendale college shook off a sluggish start thanks to a clutch two-run double from Krista Smith in the fifth inning and strung together key bunts late in the game to rally past visiting Bakersfield College, 7-6, on Thursday at the Glendale Sports Complex.
The Western State Conference victory was extra sweet for Glendale (22-17, 14-10 in conference) as it sent sophomores Kelly Korras, Diana Garcia, Desiree Cunanan and Sarah Sardo out with a win in their final game as Vaqueros.
“It’s nice to finish the season going into next season with a win,” Vaqueros Coach Dave “Hawk” Wilder said. “There’s nothing like losing your last game. We played sloppy and we deserved to lose that game in a sloppy way, but to come back and beat them and not just give up [was nice].”
After falling behind 5-2 after two innings, the Vaqueros didn’t panic. Instead, they began to solidify a defense that committed four early errors and went back to the small-ball approach that helped them start the season 10-1.
“For probably one of the first times this season, we just went out and had fun,” said Korras, who has limited her college choices to Point Loma Nazarene or Chaminade University of Honolulu, both Division II schools.
And the fun, and comeback, began in the third inning.
Glendale High grad Melissa Legaspi, who singled twice and scored twice, scored on a Garcia sacrifice fly in the third to slash the Renegades’ lead to 5-3.
After tripling in the fourth, Smith was ushered home on a Cunanan flare that fell for a hit, making the score 5-4.
Bakersfield added a run in the top of the fifth, but Smith made sure that lead didn’t stand long.
With two outs, Smith laced a fly ball to left field that fell in for a double just in front of diving Renegades outfielder Brittney Johnson to score Garcia and Debbie Martin, knotting the game at 6 and setting up a dramatic sixth inning.
“That’s what brought us back in the game,” said Garcia of Smith’s hit.
In the sixth, catcher Kristina Nazarian led off with a bunt single and went to second on an errant throw.
Jocelyn Pedraza followed with a sacrifice bunt, moving Nazarian to third and brining Legaspi to the plate with the go-ahead run on third.
Legaspi promptly laid down a third consecutive bunt that was fielded by Renegades third baseman Celina Cruz. Cruz looked back Nazarian and threw to first, but as she released the ball, Nazarian broke for home and slid in safely just ahead of the return throw home for the winning run.
On the day, the Vaqueros collected three bunt hits and swiped three bags, bringing their season total to 120. The 120 steals is a school record and believed to be among the tops for a team in conference lore, Wilder said.
“We really didn’t execute the rest of the year with bunts,” Garcia said. “But this game, we executed.”
Korras, who went the distance in the circle to pick up the win, and the defense of the Vaqueros, who topped College of the Canyons on Tuesday, limited the Renegades to just one run over the final five frames.
“It was kind of frustrating because, like last year, we were losing a lot of close, one-run games where we made errors, we weren’t getting hits at the right times,” Korras said. “So, it feels good to go out with two wins in a row.”
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