Winners of 13 Straight, Red-Hot Hancock Softball Heads to L.A. Pierce for Pair of Conference Games

The softball team is coming off one of its most productive and memorable weeks in recent memory. The Bulldogs won two conference games and three non-conference contests last week, including an 8-4 win over Mt. San Antonio College, the fourth ranked team in the state.  Hancock enters the week 3-0 in Western State Conference play and 15-2-1 overall. The Bulldogs have won 13 straight games, which is the third-longest active winning streak in the state. They were ranked ninth in the most recent Southern California Regional Coaches Poll that was released last week.

The Bulldogs started the week with a doubleheader sweep of Moorpark. They won 8-0 and 10-2, both were five-inning games. Freshman Judith Salazar clubbed a grand slam and a two-run double to finish with 6 RBI in the opener and Jessica Rothanzl added three hits and 2 RBI. Katie Chenault threw a perfect game and struck out 10. In the second game, the Bulldogs scored eight runs in the first inning fueled by a grand slam from Michaela Valencia. Rothanzl added a home run. Chenault fanned 10 more in the second game.

Hancock hit the road for three games last weekend. The Bulldogs opened the trip with a 1-0 win at Long Beach. Rothanzl hit a solo home run, her fourth, in the sixth for the game-winning hit. Chenault struck out 15 and allowed just four hits in the shutout. On Saturday, the Bulldogs blanked Southwestern 5-0 behind a two-run home run from Chenault and RBI-hits from Ashley Ruiz, Monique Hoobery and Rothanzl. Chenault allowed just five hits and struck out 12 in the win. The Bulldogs finished the week with an impressive 8-4 win over Mt. SAC, which was ranked fourth in the state and third in the Southern California Regional. Chenault allowed six hits and three earned runs and racked up 10 strikeouts. Megan Love, Missy Regalado and Teanna Silveira had two hits each in the win. Silveira had two RBI.

L.A. Pierce starts the week 0-1 in conference and 1-8 overall with seven straight losses. The Brahamas are led by Nicole Linderman and her .304 batting average. Last year, Hancock crushed LA Pierce in all three meetings by a combined score of 93-1 (30-0, 28-0, and 35-1).

Statistically, Hancock is led offensively by Rothanzl, who is hitting .564 with a team-leading eight doubles, 31 hits and four home runs. Salazar is hitting .392 with six doubles, two home runs and a club-best 22 RBI. Valencia is tied with the team lead with four home runs to go with 19 RBI and a team-high 14 runs. Chenault is 15-2 on the mound with 173 strikeouts in 105 innings. She owns a 1.06 earned run average.