Playoff Preview: Softball Set to Face Bakersfield in CCCAA SoCal Regional Round One
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Riverside | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
|
Bakersfield | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bakersfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
|
Riverside | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
The Riverside City College Tigers placed fourth in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) and earned the 11th seed in the first round of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Playoffs. They will square off against the sixth-seeded Bakersfield College Renegades on the road in a best-of-three game series beginning Friday, May 4th.
Under the leadership of Head Coach Michelle Daddona, the Tiger have reached the playoffs for the 13th time during her tenure.
The Tigers earned the 11th seed after finishing the season with an overall record of 25-14 which included a conference mark of 12-9. They closed out the season with a pair of thrillers highlighted by a 5-4 walk-off victory against the state's seventh-ranked Santiago Canyon. They held a seven-game winning streak in the month of March that saw three victories come via mercy rule.
Earlier in the season, the Tigers faced off against the Renegades and earned a 1-0 victory highlighted by a first-inning solo blast off the bat of sophomore catcher Aeriel Carlson. That was all the run support that sophomore starter Synphony Hall needed as she tossed a complete-game shutout while allowing just five hits and striking out one batter.
The Tigers are paced by Carlson on the offensive front, who is a two-time OEC All-Conference selection and 2018 All-Southern California award winner. She has been a staple in the heart of the order throughout the entire season. She has ranked in the top-two in homeruns all season after parking 16 so far. She boasts a batting average of .366 that includes a .920 slugging percentage. Her slugging percentage ranks ninth in the state. Furthermore, she leads her team in RBI with 46 and has barreled 41 hits in 112 at-bats.
Sophomore third baseman Terri Nava joins her as a threat on offensive after being named to the first-team all-conference team and the All-SoCal squad. She leads the team in batting average with a clip of .405 and doubles with 15. Sophomore designated player A'loni Appleton comes in as the next hottest bat highlighted by a .370 batting average to go along with 24 RBI and a pair of round trippers. She also ranks fourth on the squad in hits with 34.
The Tigers rely on a pair of arms in the circle. Hall, who earned second-team all-conference recognition, acts as Riverside's ace as seen in 24 starts and a record of 7-7. She boasts a lowly 1.83 ERA to go along with 67 punch outs. Freshman Riley Peckels rounds out the rotation after starting 15 games and earning a record of 10-6. She tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Golden West to highlight her outings. Additionally, she has recorded 51 strikeouts and owns a 2.50 ERA.
The Renegades come in with a record of 31-9 after hauling in a Western State – North title. Sophomore Alexis Solis acts as their top threat on offense as she has recorded nine homeruns, 30 RBI, and holds a batting average of .331. Sophomore Aryka Chavez has connected for 51 hits and leads her team in RBI with 31 and batting average with a mark of .408.
Freshman Kylee Fahy has been dominant in the circle for Bakersfield as she owns a record of 28-6 and has punched out a state-pacing 268 hitters. She holds an ERA of 1.25 and has chucked 29 complete games in 218.2 innings pitched.