Game one began with a chaotic first inning, as the Pioneers jumped out to a first inning 2-0 lead on a home run off the bat of Infinity Laufou. The Pioneers continued to do damage in the top of the first, as Jullia Dorado roped a two-run single to extend the UAV lead to 4-0, even before the Buccaneers got a chance to step to the plate.
The Buccaneers couldn’t accept losing that all-important first inning, and the bats came alive for them in the bottom half of the first. Anissa Corrales and Gabby Romero reached on hits to open up the frame, then both coming around to score. Romero was driven in, as was Sierra Meyers, on Natalie Castro’s 13th and 14th RBI of the season thanks to a two-run double. Castro herself was driven in on a single by Raylissa Garcia, and just like that, the Buccaneers had tied the contest back up at four.
After Dorado’s two-run single, Mariah Martinez got settled in, retiring 12 of the next 13 batters from the circle. Each of the runs in the first came with no outs, and Martinez was dialed in following the tough first five hitters.
The Bucs regained their lead in the fourth, after Corrales capitalized and scored on a defensive miscue by the Pioneers. They extended their lead to two in the fifth when Garcia cashed in Lala Romero on an RBI single.
Martinez continued her dominant day, allowing just one hit in her final six innings, and helping the Bucs put the finishing pieces on the 6-4 victory.
Game two saw the makings of a snowball fight emerge, with the Buccaneers taking full advantage of defensive mistakes across the board. The Bucs walked away victorious by a mercy rule, 13-5 in five innings, as Abril Nerey notched her Cal Pac-leading 12 win of the year.
Both teams had one-spots in the first, followed by two-spots in the second as each team made three errors in the first two innings. Danielle Farinas knocked her first triple of the year in the first, then was promptly scored on a double by Natalie Castro.
Hailey Yamaguchi gave the Pioneers their third lead of the game with a home run in the top of the third, but it was the last lead of the game that the Lancaster squad would have the rest of the day. Alana Van Dorn scored Castro in the bottom half of the third with an RBI single, then she scored herself after a throwing error by UAV pitcher Dakota Edwards. Garcia, who reached on the error by Edwards, scored on an RBI groundout by Corrales, giving the Bucs a 6-4 lead.
After the Pioneers tacked on a run making it 6-5 entering the bottom half of the fourth, the Buccaneers bats went on a nice two-out rally, stacking up six runs to put the game well within mercy rule territory. The explosive inning was highlighted by Anissa Corrales’ two-run triple, as she finished the two games going 3-7 with three RBI.
The Bucs needed just one run for the mercy rule victory in the fifth, and after Nerey put up a zero on the defensive half, the Bucs won it after Christina Robles scored on an error by Pioneers second baseman Infinity Laufou.
On deck is the Park Gilbert and University of La Sierra series in Riverside, Calif. The two days of doubleheaders are scheduled to be held on March 31 and April 2.
Press Release courtesy Park University Athletics – Lainie Hallows
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