First Place Hancock Softball Sweeps Pair from Santa Barbara 5-0 and 10-2

Bailey Killough threw two complete games and collected three hits at the plate to help the Allan Hancock College softball team sweep a doubleheader from rival Santa Barbara City College 5-0 and 10-2 on Tuesday. The first place Bulldogs won their seventh straight Western State Conference game to improve to 7-1 in league and 13-4 overall. Hancock also moved to 5-0 at home this season. Santa Barbara fell to 4-4 in league and 9-8 overall after dropping its sixth straight game.

Hancock opened the scoring in the opener in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore Emily Gantt clubbed a home run to center field, her second long ball of the season to give Hancock a 1-0 lead. Leticia Hoobery followed with a single and stole second base. Nakaila Fuggs drew a walk to force the Vaqueros to turn to their bullpen as Calista Wendell came in to replace Rebecca Pullen. However, Wendell walked the first two batters she faced, Christabel Chavez and Larrissa Ostrander, to force in Hoobery to make it 2-0 Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs added three more runs in the fourth when Isabella Partida drove in Chavez with a groundball to pick up an RBI. Maggie Dasis singled home Ostrander, and later scored on a wild pitch to push Hancock's lead to 5-0. Hancock out-hit the Vaqueros 7-to-3 in the opener.

Killough allowed just three hits and two walks over seven innings in game one. The freshman struck out five Vaqueros to earn the win.  The Arroyo Grande High School graduate allowed two runs, five hits and struck out three in a five-inning complete game win in the second contest.

Santa Barbara scored first in the second game as the Vaqueros pushed two runs across in the second against Killough to build a 2-0 lead. Hancock responded by sending 14 hitters to the plate in a 10-run third inning against two SBCC pitchers.

Chavez and Ostrander led off the third with walks. They both advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Isabella Partida. With one out, Dasis and Myranda Morales were both hit by pitches to force in Chavez and reload the bases. Killough drew a walk to score Ostrander and tie the game at 2-2. Shannon Peterson stepped up and delivered a two-run double to drive home Dasis and Morales to give Hancock the lead for good at 4-2. Hoobery hit a RBI-grounder and Fuggs followed with a RBI-double. With two on and two outs, Ostrander laced a two-run triple and later scored on a double by Partida. Dasis drove in Partida with a RBI-single to cap a 10-run inning.

Ostrander went 2-for-3 with two runs and 2 RBI in the second game. Peterson drove in two runs. Chavez drew two walks, stole two bases and scored twice. Hancock out-hit SBCC 10-to-5 in the second game and 17-to-8 on the day.

The Bulldogs' five-game homestand continues at noon on Thursday, March 16, when L.A. Pierce visits Hancock for a conference battle.