
Huntington Beach, Calif. -The Golden West College Rustlers (15-2, 2-0) continued their strong start to conference play with a 7-1 victory over the Riverside City College Tigers (6-13, 2-3) in game one of a home doubleheader. The Rustlers used timely hitting and dominant pitching to secure the win, before game two was halted due to wet field conditions from the rain with Riverside leading 4-2 through two innings.
Game One: Golden West 7, Riverside 1
Golden West's offense struck early and often, highlighted by Abbie Rainwater, who went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base, while Candice DeMayo added a key two-RBI single to break the game open in the third inning.
After a scoreless first, the Rustlers pushed across two runs in the second on an RBI groundout by Mya Santiago and a sharp RBI single from Rainwater. Riverside answered with a run in the top of the third on an RBI single by Alysse Flores, but that would be all the Tigers could muster as Golden West's pitching staff shut the door.
Angelique Perez (6-0) earned the win, working 2.1 innings and striking out three, before turning it over to Desyree Arizmendi, who tossed 4.2 scoreless innings in relief with five strikeouts to keep Riverside off balance.
The Rustlers added two more in the third and two in the fourth, including an RBI single by Rainwater and a wild pitch that brought her home. Lola Weber's sacrifice fly in the sixth capped the scoring.
Golden West capitalized on 10 walks drawn against Riverside starter Jessica Gaitan, whose four wild pitches and one hit batter added to the Tigers' troubles.
Game Two (Suspended): Riverside 4, Golden West 2 (Top 3rd)
In game two, Riverside jumped out to a 4-2 lead through two innings before the game was suspended due to wet field conditions from the rain and will resume on Wednesday, March 19 at 3:30 p.m., starting from the top of the third inning.
Golden West scored in the first on an RBI double by Desyree Arizmendi, but Riverside responded with a four-run second inning, fueled by a two-run single from Ruby McDonald and another two-run single from Rebeca Razo.
The Rustlers cut into the lead in the bottom of the second when Abbie Rainwater grounded out to second, bringing home Rachel Keys to make it 4-2.