Photos by Bobby R. Hester
Photos by Bobby R. Hester

No. 7 Riverside Reaches CCCAA Super Regionals, Travels to No. 2 Cypress  

It has been six years since the Riverside City College softball team has advanced to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Super Regional playoffs. After reigning supreme in a best-of-three series against the No. 11 seeded Bakersfield College Renegades, the Tigers have advanced to the Super Regional round and will face off against the No. 2 seeded Cypress College Chargers beginning on Friday, May 10.

Friday's contest is set to begin at 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday morning contest at 11 a.m. If necessary, a game three is scheduled for the same Saturday approximately 30 minutes after game two. This will be a ticketed event as mandated by the CCCAA. There will be a cash only charge of $12 for general admission and an $8 admission fee for students, faculty, staff, veterans, 60 and over and 16 and under fans. Student, faculty and staff must present a valid ID.

Riverside earned redemption against Bakersfield after falling to them in the first round of the CCCAA Southern Regional round in 2018. The Tigers earned the momentum after outlasting the Renegades in a 13 inning game one that featured 37 hits, two ties, three lead changes and over four hours of play. Sophomore right fielder Dani Melendez drove in the game-winning run on an infield single.  

Cypress, who hauled in their fifth-consecutive Orange Empire Conference (OEC) title, holds a 2-1 regular season series advantage over the Tigers. Riverside handed Cypress their lone conference defeat in late April by the final score of 5-4. The win snapped the Charger's 16-game conference winning streak. Cypress defeated Riverside 6-4 in extra innings in their first contest followed by a 5-0 victory in their second meeting.

In the lone victory, Riverside rode the lone ball as sophomore third baseman Danielle Lopez, freshman catcher Alicia Rivera and sophomore Jocelyn Ontiveros all went yard. Ontiveros' solo shot came in the bottom of the sixth inning and acted as the go-ahead run. Sophomore Lorena Fitch earned her 13th win of the season after allowing just three hits, while freshman Brianna Arroyo picked up her third save of the season.