Killough Strikes Out Seven and Slugs Grand Slam, Hancock Softball Routs SBCC 12-2 in Five

Sophomore Bailey Killough slugged a game-ending grand slam and struck out seven in the circle to lead the Allan Hancock College softball team to a 12-2 win in five innings at home against Santa Barbara City College Thursday. The Bulldogs improved to 7-1 in Western State Conference play and 16-8-1 overall. SBCC fell to 2-5 in league and 10-11 overall.

Jasmine Manson gave SBCC an early 2-0 lead with a two-run triple in the second inning against Killough. The Bulldogs answered in the bottom half as Zaiden Bakke and Alyssa Gonzalez hit back-to-back singles. They moved up one base each on a sacrifice by Andrea Ortega. Mackenzie Baird followed with a two-run single to tie it at 2-2.

Hancock broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run fourth inning. Gonzalez singled, Ortega walked and Baird singled to load the bases with nobody out. Crystal Gonzalez drew a walk to force in a run to give Hancock a 3-2 lead. Nakaila Fuggs reached on a SBCC error that allowed two runs to score on the play to make it a 5-2 Bulldog lead. Mallory Townsend hit a RBI-groundout and Fuggs later scored on a ball off the bat of Nikole Cody.

Carrying a 7-2 lead into the fifth, the Bulldogs strung together a two-out rally. With two outs and nobody on, Baird singled and scored on a RBI-double by Crystal Gonzalez. Fuggs drew a walk and Townsend was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Killough. The sophomore clubbed her fifth home run of the season and first grand slam of the year to end the game early by virtue of the eight-run rule.

Baird went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI and two runs scored to lead Hancock's nine-hit attack. Killough went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI, Alyssa Gonzalez went 2-for-3 and Crystal Gonzalez went 1-for-1 with 2 RBI, scored twice and walked three times.

Killough earned the win, allowing three hits and two runs over five innings. She struck out seven and issued one walk.

SBCC's Calista Wendell took the loss. She allowed 12 runs, 10 of them earned, nine hits and walked five over 4 2/3 innings.

The Bulldogs return to action on Thursday, April 5 at home against Ventura in a key conference game. Ventura handed Hancock its only conference loss of the season last month, 4-1. Ventura and Hancock shared the conference title in 2017.