PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Yavapai College softball team headed to the valley on Tuesday afternoon to take on the Paradise Valley Community College Pumas on a rainy day and emerged victorious 14-11 in the first game of the day, earning first-year Head Coach Kali Pugh her first win in green and gold. The win also pushes the Roughriders record to 1-4 on the young season. 

The second game was called due to rain in the bottom of the second and will be continued on April 1 at Yavapai when the Pumas are scheduled for their away doubleheader with the Roughriders. At the time of postponement, YC was in front 15-3. 

"The team has officially known each other for a month and the games today show just how much work they have put in, in such a short amount of time," said Pugh after the victory. "We have so much to still work on though. I am proud of their positive attitudes and getting to watch them come together as a group is a beautiful thing."

The Roughriders wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in game one's slugfest as freshman utility player Darby Kramp doubled home a run in the first and was followed by an RBI single from sophomore utility player Genavie Espinoza. 

After taking a 2-0 lead to start, the slugfest also turned into a seesaw battle in the bottom of the second as the Pumas pushed five runs across the plate to take a 5-2 lead. YC was able to get two of those runs back in the top of the third on a two-out two-run single off the bat of freshman outfielder Chesnea Larimore to bring the score to 5-4. 

In the bottom of the third, however, Paradise Valley scored a couple of runs on a two-run homer to reclaim a three-run lead at 7-4. 

Once more, the Roughriders responded and scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take its second lead of the game. Freshman outfielder Meghan Kelly brought home the first run with a double and then scored on an RBI single off the bat of freshman utility player Torie Au. Two batters later, freshman utility player Aly Savage gave YC an 8-7 lead with a two-out two-run double. 

The Pumas then tied the game up with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth to bring the score to even at 8-8 with three innings left to play. 

The Roughriders then saw it was their turn to show off the power in the later innings as, after a sacrifice fly from Kramp, Espinoza launched a two-out three-run homer to give the Roughriders a 12-8 lead, their largest of the day. 

A scoreless bottom of the fifth inning led to more YC fireworks as this time freshman catcher Amanda Pay left the yard with a solo shot to make it a 13-8 ballgame. Later in the inning, Au doubled in a run to give the Roughriders a six-run lead. 

Despite the Pumas scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth, YC would not relinquish the lead this time and held Paradise Valley scoreless in the bottom of the seventh to hang on to a wild 14-11 victory. 

Au and Savage led the Roughriders in hits with four each while Kelly and Espinoza each tallied three as well. Kramp and Pay each had multi-hit games while Larimore and freshman infielder Maritza Celaya each had one. 

Espinoza also earned the win on the mound with 3.1 innings of relief in which she gave up three runs (none of which were earned) and struck out two. 

Up Next
The Roughriders are back on the softball field on Saturday, February 18, in Yuma, Arizona, where they will take on the Arizona Western College Matadors with game one's first pitch set for 11 a.m.