Wolf Pack bats slice Rattlers

By Adam Paul
Updated: March 8, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL

By Adam Paul

SANTEE (3-8-22) – Famed singer Julie Andrews sang a song for the film The Sound of Music called “The Hills Are Alive.” Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon the same could be said for the bats of the West Hills Wolf Pack as their bats came alive and scored ten runs combined over the fourth and fifth innings to win convincingly over Canyon Hills.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning the bats of the Pack came alive as Samiya Wright (3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B) doubled in Faith Balestreri (2-4, 2R) and a couple of batters later Amaya Angeli (2-5, 3R, RBI) tied the game with a base hit that scored Wright and Jaci McKindley (2-4, 2R, RBI) would come into score when the right fielder misplayed the ball to give the Pack a 4-3 lead.

Now with Angeli on second after she advanced on the error the next batter Emily Byrd (2-4, R, 2 RBI) would drive her in on a base hit to center field which made it 5-3.

West Hills continued the damage in the fifth inning starting with an RBI double by Marina Morales (1-4, R, RBI, 2B) to score Lily Youngdale (1-3, R), a couple of batters later Wright would drive in Morales and McKindley would drive in another run as would Byrd which was followed by an RBI single by Alyssa Thornton.

Thornton got the starting nod for the Pack and earned the victory. On the day she allowed nine hits and three runs over seven innings of work and struck out eight Rattlers on the day.

The victory evens the Packs record at 2-2 and they will next take on Otay Ranch on Thursday, March 10.

Valley Center 9, Santana 6

SANTEE (3-8-22) – Falling behind early the Santana Sultans, unfortunately, couldn’t come back on Tuesday afternoon against the visiting Valley Center Jaguars.

Valley Center would hit three home runs on the day.

The Sultans trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning thought they would have something going as Hailey Oceguera walked to lead things off, both Hailey Phillips and Kaitlyn Ours singled to load the bases. The next batter McKenna Miller was only able to drive in Oceguera as she grounded out which made it 4-1. That would be all the Sultans would muster as the next two batters would be retired to end the inning.

The Jags would pull even further away thanks to a three-run blast by Raeann Devers in the top of the third inning to make it 7-1.an

Oceguera in the bottom of the inning would drive in Madison Jordan to make it 7-2.

Later in the bottom of the fifth inning the Sultan bats came alive as Kassidy Harper roped an RBI double that brought home Jordan, she would come into score when Phillips laid down a bunt and both Ours and Miller followed with back-to-back RBI doubles.

Unfortunately, 8-6 would be the closest the Sultans would get as Valley Center added another insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when Desiree Jones homered.

Gracie Johnston took the loss for the Sultans as she allowed four runs on two hits in her one and one-third of an inning start, she also walked two and struck out three. Finishing things up in relief was Ashtyn Niemiec who tossed five and two-thirds innings in which she allowed five runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out five.