MERCY-RULING THE RUSTLERS
The Fullerton College softball team delivered a relentless two-out rally in the fourth inning .
The Hornets welcomed Golden West College on Tuesday and enforced the mercy-rule on the Rustlers 10-1.
Breaking a five-game losing streak, Fullerton still has a strong overall record at 22-12. Winning game one of the Orange Empire Conference series, FC now sits at 11-5 in the OEC standings, while GWC takes a hit at 18-14 overall and 9-7 in conference play.
Clinging to a 1-1 tie entering the bottom of the fourth, the Hornets flipped the game on its head with a huge offensive surge scoring nine runs, all with two outs, to put the contest out of reach.
FC struck first in the bottom of the third when Toafa Pua smoked a hard single up the middle that plated Alana Eisel.
Golden West tied the game up in the top of the fourth, but Fullerton answered the call soon enough.
Alana Eisel ignited the two-out rally with an RBI single to give Fullerton a 2-1 lead. Anela Quinones followed with a clutch two-run double to extend the advantage, and Lisa Villanueva kept the line moving with an RBI double of her own. The Hornets continued to capitalize when Faith Krueger delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 7-1, while Zoey Bautista added an RBI double. Alexandria Valdez chipped in with an RBI single, and Eisel capped the inning with another run-scoring hit as Fullerton sent nine runs across.
In the circle, Emma Gamez (10-4) was just as strong going a complete five-innings. She allowed just three hits and one run while striking out six to land her tenth win on the season.
The Hornets finished with 14 hits on the day that was led by Alana Eisel's 3-3 day at the plate with 2 RBI. Quinones drove in 2 runs, while Krueger also tallied two RBI.
Up Next: The Hornets (22-12 overall, 11-5 OEC) will play the second game at Golden West this Thursday, April 16th at 2:00 pm. The third and final game of the series will take place back at Fullerton on Friday, April 17th at 2:00 pm.
