Extra innings? Hawks also love ‘goin’ long’
- Updated: March 28, 2023
2023 SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN COLLEGE DIAMOND SPORTS / Baseball & Softball
ECS staff report
GOING LONG: The Hawks smacked two homers in the 9th, then a game-winning blast in the 10th,to shock Saint Katherine, 11-8 in extra innings.
ESCONDIDO – One strike away from a disappointing setback to a local rival, San Diego Christian College played the singular ace kept under their sleeve: reach extra innings — and they delivered.
Facing a county of 1-2 and two down in the ninth inning, Hawks designated hitter Alec Arnone re-gained his club leadership in home runs with a 2-run shot to tie, lifting SDCC to a dramatic 11-8 verdict in 10 innings over host University of Saint Katherine on Tuesday (Mar. 28) at Escondido High’s Pete Coscarart Field.
Spencer Jenkins later added a go-ahead, leadoff shot in the extra inning for the game-winning hit.
Armone’s sixth homer of the season was one of two long-balls in the ni the rally, as the Hawks scored three times in both the 9th and 10th innings to rally from a 7-4 deficit against a ballclub which will become conference foes in 2024.
Late-inning substitute first baseman Nate Macis opened the ninth with a solo homer, which really didn’t seem to matter. But when No. 9 hitter Joey Scotvold followed wuith a single up the middle, the Firebirds started to worry.
Saint Katherine retired the next two batters, but with the power-hitting Armone at the plate, the hosts elected to hit to him and he parked what could’ve been the ballgame’s final pitch.
In the 10th, Jenkins, another late-inning sub for San Diego Christian tn center field, took the lead on his solo belt, then the Hawks added two additional runs on two USK errors without the aid of any additional hits.
Pitching-wise, SDCC attempted to utilize the entire staff for one inning each. They ended up using 11 pitchers, with 9th-inning pitcher Chandler DeJong gaining the victory, then Trevor Baker gained the save.
San Diego Christian moved to 8-21 overall Saint Katherine slipped tounder .500 at 9-10.
The Hawks expect to play all four games this weekend, playing consecutive doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday against Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Ariz., in a return to Golden State Athletic Conference action.
Women’s Softball
Hawks match baseball
with 11-8 victory at UAV
ECS staff report
San Diego Christian blew a 6-4 lead entering the sixth by allowing four tuns, but stormed back with 5-run outburst in th seventh.
Bri Humphries paced the offense with four RBI, while Emily Longtree drove in three runs, including a 2-run homer in the first to also scorfe Humphries to take 1 3-0 in the first.
Bri Humphries
Antelope Valley answered with four runs in the thirdh, as the lead see-sawed before the Hawks won it in their final trip to the plate.
In the seventh, Humphries tied the contest on a 2-run double, then she later scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded basehit by center fielder Maya Abrego. UAC collapsed on the play, as two errors allowed another run to score.
Maya Abrego
The following batter, No. 9 hitting left fielder Serena Shine, then delivered another RBI single to cap the coring.
Hawks starting pitcher Ada Neu, who didn’t have the best outing (7 ER, 5 BB, 11 H) did finish strong, recording a 1-2-3 in the seventh to collect the complete-game victory.
The host Pioneers fell to 9-19.
San Diego Christian (6-12 overall) return to GSAC action Friday, hosting nationally-ranked Hope International in a double header at a noon doubleheader (weather pending) at Sportsplex USA in Santee.
