The Pasadena City College softball team remained perfect at 4-0 in games played at their off-campus home--Robinson Park--and moved its South Coast Conference record to 4-1 in blanking Rio Hondo, 8-0, Thursday afternoon.
The Lancers started slow offensively, but took advantage of six Rio Hondo errors to score three runs in the fourth and then four in the bottom of the fifth to mercy the Roadrunners by the 8-run rule.
PCC (5-3 overall) received a stalwart effort in the circle by Austyn Helmuth (2-2) as she 1-hit Rio Hondo and faced just two batters more than the minimum over five innings. The freshman retired the first nine in a row before RHC leadoff hitter Katherine Arroyo lined a clean single to center in the fourth. Olivia Nanez made a diving catch in short left field that ended the third and was the game's top defensive gem.
Shortstop Kaylee Medrano knocked in the Lancers first run on a sacrifice fly in the third after centerfielder Gabi Perez singled and stole both second and third.
In the fourth, catcher Nathalia Velasquez and first baseman Amanda Flores belted deep drives for back-to-back RBI doubles.
Perez and second baseman Danielle Ruiz (two RBI) led the Lancers offense by each hitting 2-for-3.
The Lancers next play at Southwestern College on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. before playing two games on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Cypress College against the host Chargers (10:30 a.m.) and Bakersfiled (12:30 pm).