Hawks Upset #14 Delta, Earn Doubleheader Split

Cosumnes River College faced off against San Joaquin Delta in Stockton in two hard-fought conference games on Saturday, March 29. Unfortunately, CRC came up short in the first game, falling 7-6. However, CRC bounced back strong in the second game, with a 10-7 victory.

In the first game, CRC battled back in the 7th inning with a late rally, scoring 5 runs, but it wasn't enough to overcome Delta's early lead. Top performers for CRC included Ariana Fuentes, 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs, Kalani Hernandez, 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Isabella Hall, 2 hits and a run, while Emily Azemar contributed an RBI walk in the 7th. Marissa Alders started on the mound, pitching 6 innings, allowing 7 earned runs on 11 hits. In the end, CRC left 11 runners stranded on base, which hindered their comeback effort.

In the second game, CRC won 10-7, powered by a strong offensive showing. Fuentes led the charge, hitting a 3-RBI homer in the 3rd inning, driving in Kalani Hernandez and Mariah Hopkins. She finished with 4 RBIs on the day. Hernandez had a fantastic performance, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Bella Harpster also played a crucial role, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs, including a key RBI single in the 5th inning. The offense capitalized on Delta's defensive mistakes, driving in key runs throughout the game.

On the mound, Fuentes (W, 6-4) picked up the win, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing 4 earned runs on 5 hits. Harpster relieved Fuentes, giving up 3 runs in 0.2 innings, and Marissa Alders finished the game strong with 2 scoreless innings. Despite Delta's late 6-run rally in the 5th inning, CRC's early lead and collaborative pitching held up, securing the win.

CRC improves to 15-13 overall and 7-5 in conference. CRC heads to American river College on Tuesday, April 1 at 3 pm to continue conference play.