Softball: Vikings roll to 8-0 mercy-rule win over Pasadena

The Long Beach City College softball team cruised to an 8-0 South Coast Conference win over visiting Pasadena City College on Tuesday at LBCC. The five-inning victory improved Long Beach to 12-7-2 overall and 5-4 in conference play.

Freshman Justin Meddings (Kennedy HS) tossed a three-hit shutout while the Vikings pounded out eight hits and took advantage of three PCC errors in the rout.

Long Beach scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning off Pasadena (5-17, 2-7 SCC) starter Megan Martin before putting in play the eight-run mercy rule with six runs in the third.

LBCC started the big rally in the third with consecutive one-out singles by sophomore Michelle Contreras (Norwalk HS), freshman Cassie Garcia (Banning HS), and sophomore Desiree Villegas (El Rancho HS).

The big blow of the inning came off the bat of sophomore Brittney Holden (Big Bear HS), who lined a two-run double to right-center field to drive in Garcia and Villegas.

Sophomore Melissa McDougall (Millikan HS) added a RBI single, freshman Danelle Zapien's (Whittier Christian HS) bases-loaded groundout forced in a run, and a throwing error by PCC relief pitcher Kayla Moore allowed  another run to come in.

Villegas and McDougall both went 2 for 3 to lead LBCC at the plate. Meddings struck out two and walked one to improve to 7-1 overall.

Martin took the loss for Pasadena to fall to 2-9. She allowed six runs (five earned) and five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Moore gave up two runs and a hit in 2/3 innings, while Adrianna Stevens closed out the game for PCC with a scoreless fourth.

Long Beach returns to action on Thursday (Mar 17) when it travels to El Camino College for a 3 p.m. conference game. The Vikings return home on Friday (Mar 18) for a 3 p.m. non-conference contest against San Diego Mesa College.