ORANGE — It wasn’t necessarily a must-win softball game in the Crestview League, but El Modena’s 4-3 victory over Pacifica on Tuesday at El Modena High School kept the race for first place close between the two teams.
The Vanguards (16-2, 5-2), who have won five in a row, are now in first place, a half-game ahead of Pacifica (12-8, 4-2), the No. 4 team in the Orange County rankings.
No. 5 El Modena collected 10 hits, including solo home runs from Kylie Tafua, Kaitlyn Galasso and Monica Garcia.
Galasso homered to lead off the third, giving the Vanguards a 1-0 lead.
“I had two balls and no strikes,” Galasso said. “I was just looking away and that’s what they gave me and took it with me.”
The Mariners came back with three runs in the fourth, with two runs scoring on a two-out error by El Modena.
El Modena took the lead back in fifth.
Tafua homered to lead off the inning.
Galasso followed with a walk, took second on a sacrifice bunt from Lucy Mitchell and then stole home later in the inning to tie the score.
Garcia then hit the home run that held up as the game winner.
“Basically, I went up there thinking just hit the ball hard as I can” Garcia said, “and do something for my team. And then I hit the home run and after that and I was very happy.”
Leyla Ayres singled to lead off the seventh and represented the tying run for the Mariners.
Arianna Salas stepped up and hit a hard ground ball to third to Mitchell, who threw quickly to Galasso at second to force out Ayres.
Galasso then fired to Garcia at first to get Salas and complete the double play.
Pitcher Ashely Driskill then retired the final hitter on a ground out.
Sara Pinedo started in the circle for El Modena and pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first with a fly out to second and a line out to right field.
Pacifica also had a runner on third with one out in the third and Pinedo retired the next two hitters on a foul out to the catcher and a strikeout.
“I mean, the bottom line is, is we had numerous opportunities to execute and get some runs across early in the game and we didn’t execute,” Pacifica coach Tony Arduino said.
The Mariners defeated the Vanguards, 3-2, on March 27 at Pacifica.
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