Vaqueros’ Thorne Issues Extra-Inning Winner
- Updated: April 8, 2024
2024 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL
By Adam Paul
LAKESIDE (4-8-24) – Nine innings is usually attributed to a baseball game but that is what the El Capitan Vaqueros needed as Aubrey Thorne lifted them to victory with her walk-off base hit to give the Vaqueros a 6-5 victory over the Bonita Vista Barons Monday in non-league action.
El Capitan outhit the Barons 12-7 and needed pretty much all of them as Bonita Vista made a furious rally in the top of the seventh inning as they scored four runs to tie the game at 5-5.
Ciara Bernardini (3-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 3B) who jump-started the Vaqueros offense in the bottom of the seventh tallied three hits in five at-bats in the victory. Bernardini would lead off the bottom of the first with a triple and later in the fifth left with a double.
The Vaqueros would take the lead early thanks to Kylee Frazier (1-3, R, RBI) who drove in Bernardini and Alanna Christiaens (2-4, RBI, 2B) doubling in Frazier to give them a 2-0 lead.
Alyssa Cole would pick up the win for the Vaqueros as she allowed six hits and five runs over six and one-third innings in which she walked two.
Both Bernardini and Domonique Garcia (3-4, RBI) led the Vaqueros as they both collected three hits.
Frazier, Thorne, Christiaens, Garcia, Alyssa Fierro (1-3, RBI), and Addison Leone (1-4, RBI) all drove in runs for El Capitan
This was the second time within the last month these two teams have met and that previous meeting in April was exciting as the Vaqueros claimed a 1-0 victory.
With the win, El Capitan moves to 5-6-4 and will start league play tomorrow at home against rival Santana scheduled for a 4 PM start time.
STEELE CANYON 6, CARLSBAD 4 – Three runs scored in the first and third innings were all the Steele Canyon Cougars needed Monday as they claimed the road victory over North County stalwart Carlsbad in tournament action.
The Cougars behind a two-run single by Bailey Evans (1-2, 3 RBI) that brought home both Kayala Hopkins (2-4, 2 R) and Marina Gonzalez (1-4, 2 R) along with a run-scoring groundout by Lauren Becker (1-3, 2 RBI) gave them a 3-0 lead.
Carlsbad would answer back with a run scored in the bottom of the first as they took advantage of an error by the Cougars. They would then push across a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.
However, Steele Canyon would break the tie as both Hopkins and Hailey Trujillo (1-4, R) led off the top of the third with back-to-back singles later Hopkins would score on a passed ball and Trujillo scored on a sacrifice fly-by Evans and Becker followed with an RBI double to left field that brought home Gonzalez to push them to a 6-3 lead.
Evans would get the starting nod for the Cougars. She allowed eight hits and four runs over five and two-thirds innings in which she walked four and struck out three. Gonzalez came in and threw an inning of shutout in relief in which she struck out two.
The win extends the Cougars winning streak to seven games in a row.
Next up for Steele Canyon who is now 9-3-1 is the start of Grossmont Hills league play on the road at rival Valhalla for a 4 PM start time on Tuesday.
