With the lights shining bright and the Riverside City College softball squad staring down the barrel of a one-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth inning, freshman second baseman Breanna Ceballos dug into the box with runners on first and third with one out against the No. 7 Santiago Canyons Hawks. After going down in the count, Ceballos took an inside pitched and turned on it to shoot it downthe left-field line, just passing by the Hawk's outstretched third baseman. The ball hugged the inside part of the base, allowing sophomore catcher Aeriel Carlson to cross home, leading to a 5-4 victory in extra innings.
Ceballos came in clutch for the game-winning hit, but a lot unfolded to set up a dramatic stage. The Tigers faced a pair of late-game deficits with the first coming in the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshman pinch hitter Lorena Fitch sparked a rally by drawing a walk. Ceballos continued the rally by poking a single to center field followed by sophomore right fielder Kayla Giannatasio wearing a hit by pitch to load the bases. Sophomore center fielder Megan Cartwright stepped up to the plate and barreled a two-RBI double to tie the contest and force extra innings.
The extra frame did not start off well as Santiago Canyon plated one run to go ahead, but the Tigers were not going down without a fight. Sophomore third baseman Terri Nava stepped up to the plate to lead off the inning and sent a towering long ball over the right-center wall to tie the contest up at four-all. Carlson backed Nava's round-tripper by drilling a triple to deep right field.
The Hawks decided to pass on facing sophomore third baseman A'loni Appleton, who launched solo shot in the bottom of the second inning, and issued her a free pass. Ceballos then followed with her game-winning knock to earn the 5-4 victory.
Timely offense was the ticket for Riverside in the victory with Ceballos helming the squad. She went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Appleton launched her second homerun of the game on a 2-for-4 night.
Sophomore starting pitcher Synphony Hall picked up her 14th win of the season after tossing eight innings and allowing three earned runs.
The Tigers (24-14, 11-9 OEC) will finish off conference action on Wednesday, April 25th against the Golden West College Rustlers (6-30, 1-19 OEC) on the road.