Softball: Vikings pound out 18 hits in 17-1 five-inning win over El Camino

It was just what the Long Beach City College softball team needed. Just three days after their 11-0 loss at No. 2 Antelope Valley College, the Vikings bounced back with a big 17-1 South Coast Conference win over visiting El Camino College on Tuesday.

The five-inning, mercy-rule win improved LBCC to 21-12-1 overall and 11-6 in conference play.

Long Beach banged out 18 hits, including a two-run homerun by sophomore catcher Brittany Holden (Big Bear HS) in the second and a solo homerun by freshman designated player Cassie Garcia (Banning HS) in the first. Freshman right fielder Danelle Zapien (Whittier Christian HS) nearly added to the homerun total, but her line drive shot in the second to left field bounced off the top railing of the fence.

Long Beach opened the scoring with four runs in the first, and added six more runs in the second to jump out to a 10-0 lead. The Vikings poured it on with seven more runs on seven hits in the fourth.

Freshman Justine Meddings (Kennedy HS) allowed an unearned run and a hit in the complete-game win. Meddings (11-5) struck out seven and walked three.

Holden was 2 for 4 with a double and homerun and led the Vikings with 4 RBI. Freshman center fielder Danielle Hannan (El Segundo HS) was 3 for 4 with three runs and 2 RBI. Sophomore second baseman Desiree Villegas (El Rancho HS) went a perfect 3 for 3 with two runs and a RBI.
    
El Camino (6-24, 1-17 SCC) took advantage of a pair of leadoff walks and a LBCC error to score its lone run in the top of the third. Ellen Omoto's RBI single drove in Nicolette Royal for the run.

Sara Gazzaniga (3-8) took the loss for El Camino. She allowed 10 runs (seven earned) and 10 hits over two innings.

Long Beach returns to action on Thursday (Apr 14) when they travel to Los Angeles Harbor College for a 3 p.m. South Coast Conference game.