Just call her Amanda Walk-Off. For the third time this season, first baseman Amanda Flores delivered the game-winning RBI on a game's final at bat as the Pasadena City College softball team outlasted Chaffey, 7-6, in 13 innings Tuesday at Robinson Park. Flores ripped a double to left center to score l Briana Hernandez from second base in ending the 3-hour, 16-minute affair.
The Lancers (23-12 overall) moved into second place in the South Coast Conference North Division in winning their fifth straight game. On Thursday at their home diamond, PCC (7-3 in division) has an opportunity to tie opponent and state No. 5-ranked Mt. San Antonio (8-2) for first place in the standings. Game time is 2:30 p.m.
The 13-inning contest is the longest in PCC's 8-year history at Robinson Park, an off-campus facility. Chaffey outhit the Lancers, 20-19. Both teams rallied to tie the with each down to their final out. In the top of the seventh, Panthers first baseman Lisette Rosales launched a ground-rule double to right center to tie it 4-4. As it turned out, the Robinson Park artificial turf gets a save for the Lancers as the ball bounced over the auxiliary fence forcing Chaffey's Rayven Spencer to stop at third base as she would have easily scored for a 5-4 Chaffey lead.
After Chaffey scored two runs to take a 6-4 lead in the top of the 11th inning, it was PCC's turn to keep the game alive. With two outs and the bases loaded, centerfielder Angel Urbina lined a double to left center that plated two runs, tying it at 6-6.
Hernandez, the team's leftfielder, batted 5-for-7 and reached base all seven times (two on errors). Flores went 4-for-6 and second baseman-shortstop Alex Howard was 3-for-5. Urbina added two hits. Chaffey was led by pitcher Morgan Finley, who hurled all 12.1 innings, facing 58 batters in all, while going 4-for-6 hitting out of the ninth spot.
Lopez pitched seven innings and got a no decision and was relieved by Jordan Lousararian in the eighth inning. Lousararian scattered nine hits over six innings to earn the victory, improving to 6-3 in the circle. While Finley stranded 14 Lancers on base so did the combo of Lopez and Lousararian leave 14 Chaffey runners on base.
Howard had an impressive game in the field, making a PCC season-high 11 assists and recording three putouts while helping turn two double plays. Each team used every available player with PCC utilizing 15 players and Chaffey 12. Seventeen of the game's 18 starting batters collected hits.
Chaffey's Spencer made perhaps the defensive play of the year when she performed a spectacular diving catch in short left field from her shortstop position that robbed a hit from PCC's Nathalia Velasquez.
Coach Monica Tantlinger's Lancers travel to face Cerritos College in a SCC crossover game make-up on Wednesday, April 18 at 3 p.m.