Softball: No. 15 Long Beach escapes with 3-2 win over El Camino

The No. 15 state-ranked Long Beach City College softball picked up a 3-2 South Coast Conference win over visiting El Camino College on Tuesday at LBCC.

The Vikings (8-3-1, 1-1 SCC) took advantage of four El Camino errors in the bottom of the sixth inning to score all three runs and come away with the win.

Trailing 2-0, Long Beach sent eight batters to the plate in the sixth. The Vikings managed just one hit, a single by freshman center fielder Danielle Hannan (El Segundo HS), which brought in the game-tying and go-ahead runs.

The contest was a pitcher's duel early as LBCC freshman Angela Arias (Western HS) allowed only one hit in four innings of work. El Camino's Mea Flores was just as sharp, giving up just three hits during the first five innings.

But El Camino rallied for two runs of freshman relief pitcher Justine Meddings (Kennedy HS) in the top of the fifth to go up 2-0. Flores had a RBI single and El Camino plated another run thanks to a LBCC throwing error.

Meddings picked up the win to improve to 5-0 this season. After the shaky fifth, she settled down to retire six of the final seven batters. Meddings struck out two and walked one.

Sophomore left fielder Karina Veit (Newport Harbor HS) went 2 for 4 to lead the Vikings at the plate.

Flores earned the loss to fall to 2-3 El Camino (2-9, 0-3 SCC). She allowed three runs (two earned) and four hits in the complete-game effort. She struck out six and walked four. Flores was 2 for 4 at the plate to lead the Warriors' offense.

Long Beach returns to SCC action on Thursday (Feb. 24) when it travels to L.A. Harbor College for a 3 p.m. contest.