Saddleback Posts Eight-inning, 8-5 Win Over Host Riverside Tuesday

RIVERSIDE -- The visiting Saddleback College Gauchos pushed across three unearned runs in the top of the eighth inning and went to post an 8-5 Orange Empire Conference (OEC) victory over the host Riverside City College (RCC) Tigers women's softball team Tuesday afternoon (Apr. 19) in a make-up game at Brown Field (Evans Sports Complex).

The game was originally scheduled for Apr. 8, but was postponed due to wet grounds.

Saddleback (16-16 overall, 9-8 OEC) parlayed a walk, a pair of infield errors, a run-scoring infield single and a RBI double to center field into three runs to break a 5-5 tie after seven innings.

Leadoff batter Drew Moore, who socked the RBI double in the eighth, went two for five with one run scored and three RBI to lead the Gauchos. Nicole Gilko went two for three with one RBI for Saddleback.

For Riverside City (14-20 overall, 6-12 OEC), frosh 3B Jenna Shay (Riverside / M.L. King HS '15) went two for three with a double in the first, a sacrifice fly in the third, a run-scoring single in the fourth and a fly out to center field to end the game.

RCC frosh LF Dani Melendez (Moreno Valley / Valley View HS '15) and frosh SS Danielle Lopez (Redlands / Redlands East Valley HS '15) each went two for four with two runs scored for the Tigers.

Nelsa Barilea went the distance (8.0 innings) for Saddleback and allowed five runs (three earned) on 11 hits and zero walks with six strikeouts to improve to 14-16. RCC frosh starting RHP Laura Mendez (Rialto / Wilmer Amina Carter HS '15) -- who is pictured -- went the distance (8.0 innings) and allowed eight runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks with zero strikeouts as her record fell to 8-13.

RCC will return to action on Wednesday, Apr. 20, when it hosts the Santiago Canyon College Hawks in a OEC game beginning at 3 p.m.

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