Riverside Routs Orange Coast, 10-0, in Orange Empire Conference game Friday

RIVERSIDE --  Alexis Holman flirted with a perfect game and her teammates scored in every inning as the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's softball team defeated the Orange Coast College (OCC) Pirates, 10-0, Friday afternoon (Mar. 20) in an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) game at Brown Field (Evans Sports Complex).
 
Holman, a starting sophomore RHP from Riverside (John W. North HS), was very efficient to say the least. She retired the first 14 batters until two outs in the fifth when frosh 3B Natalie Bramlett swung at a 3-0 pitch and singled up the middle to break up the perfect game. Holman needed only 47 pitches (35 for strikes) and she allowed just the one hit and struck out one to improve to 4-9 overall.

Her counterpart, starting RHP Kellie Tiner, went four innings plus and was victimized by five errors. Tiner (87 pitches, 58 for strikes) allowed all ten hits, ten runs (six earned) two walks and struck out three as her record fell to 4-14 overall.

Riverside City (8-15 overall, 3-8 in OEC, sixth place) scored single runs in the first and second innings, two runs each in the third and fourth innings, and then scored four with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when sophomore CF Michelle Paul (Norco / Norco HS) crushed the first pitch she saw well over the center-field fence for a three-run home run (her second roundtripper of the season) to end the game as the "mercy rule" took effect. (An eight-run lead in the fifth or sixth inning.)

Paul, batting in the No. 9 spot, went two for three with two runs and four RBI to lead the Tigers. Paul had a RBI double in the second.

Riverside will participate in the Bakersfield Tournament this weekend. On Saturday, Mar. 21, the Tigers face the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties at 11 a.m. and then will take on the host Bakersfield College Renegades at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Mar. 22, RCC will play the Hartnell College Panthers at 11 a.m. before heading back home.

Orange Coast (5-18 overall, 2-8 in OEC action) will be idle until Wednesday, Mar. 25, when it hosts the Fullerton College Hornets in a 3 p.m. start.

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