SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican softball swept its final series of the year topping Vanguard 6-3 and 6-1 to send its seniors off smiling into the sunset Saturday at Penguin Field.
Some stars were expected like senior pitcher
Taylor Rodriguez who went 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBI while earning a victory in the circle to end her career for the Penguins (26-24, 19-15 PacWest). Others were unexpected like senior second basman
Alexis Abalos who collected her first multi-hit game of her career at Dominican going 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBI on her senior day. In fact every senior with an at bat had a hit in their final doubleheader as they combined for 11 of the 12 RBI on the day.
Game one
The Penguins dealt with an emotional hangover to open the first game after the ceremony honoring the seniors before the game and the Lions (21-34, 14-22 PacWest) pounced as Preslee Brower and Adriana Portillo singled in back-to-back at bats with two outs to drive home a pair of runners for the 2-0 lead before senior
Mia Souza slammed the door on the rally with a strikeout to end the inning. It was not until the third inning that Dominican finally shook out of its daze as senior
Karlyne Manuel singled down the third-base line on the first pitch of the frame. Abalos sacrificed her over to second, but the extra feet were made moot as
Kate Tobola homered over the fence in right to tie the game 2-2.
Souza pitched a clean fourth to keep the game tied, giving way to
Nayellys Torres-Gonzalez in the top of the fifth. Torres-Gonzalez got into a bit of a jam as a walk and a single put the go-ahead run in scoring position, but senior shortstop
Tiare Guerrero snagged a line drive on a full extension and tossed the ball to Abalos at second for the inning-ending double play. Abalos doubled to the fence in right on the first pitch she saw in the bottom of the frame and advanced to third on a throwing error with Guerrero providing an offensive assist as she laid down the perfect sacrifice squeeze to bring her home for the 3-2 lead.
Brower doubled in the top of the sixth and came home on Tiffany Pope's sacrifice play to tie the game once again, but Rodriguez singled through the left side to lead off the bottom of the frame and get Dominican back into its groove. Senior outfielder
Kelissa Lee singled to right center to move the runner to third and Manuel singled to left to push across the go-ahead run. The seniors were not done as Abalos doubled to center to push home two insurance runs for the 6-3 lead. Tobola then provided one last highlight as she turned a game-ending double play in the seventh to take game one.
Game two
Rodriguez sat down the first three batters of the second game in order and, after Guerrero and senior first baseman
Annabelle Burke singled in the bottom of the frame, she homered to left center to give herself the 3-0 lead. Burke singled to lead off the bottom of the third and Rodriguez doubled down the left-field line to put a pair of runners in scoring position.
Alyssa Williams brough home Burke as she singled down the first-base line and senior catcher
Marina Medina singled to left-center to bring home Rodriguez for the 5-0 lead.
Vanguard shaved off a run from the lead in the top of the fifth and barely survived a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the inning to keep their hopes alive, but Rodriguez drove home Burke again in the bottom of the sixth on a single up the middle to cap the scoring on the day and then sat down the final three batters in order with fellow seniors Guerrero and Lee securing the putouts for the first two batters and Tobola throwing to Burke for the final out of the game.
