The 2019 Rio Hondo College softball team got off to a quick start over the weekend as the Roadrunners compiled a 1-2-1 record over two days at the Glendale College Tournament, played at Montrose Park.
Rio Hondo played Gateway Community College of Arizona to a 6-6 tie in its opening game of the season on Friday but followed that with a 9-4 loss to San Diego Mesa College later that afternoon. The Roadrunners bounced back the next morning with a narrow 2-1 win over Moorpark College but closed the tourney with a tough 7-6 loss to Los Angeles Valley College on Saturday afternoon.
Second baseman Katherine Arroyo totaled 5 RBI over the weekend to lead Rio Hondo at the plate.
Rio Hondo 6, Gateway 6 (5 inn.)
The Roadrunners and Gateway ended the season-opener with a 6-6 tie due to the tournament time limit. Rio Hondo put together a big rally early, putting up four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Arianna Amezcua lined a two-run single to give the Roadrunners a 4-0 lead.
Gateway responded with two runs each in the third, fourth, and fifth innings to tie up the game. Rio Hondo got a RBI double from Aspen Gonzalez and a RBI single from Amber Gutierrez for its final two runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Gutierrez went 3 for 3 to lead Rio Hondo at the plate. Amezcua took the loss, allowing six runs and 10 hits over five innings.
San Diego Mesa 9, Rio Hondo 4
San Diego Mesa strung together a pair of rallies to put the game out of reach early. With the score tied 1-1, the Olympians scored three runs in the third and blew the game open with a five-run, fourth-inning to go up 9-1.
The Roadrunners got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth and one more in the fifth, but the lead, as well as six errors, were too much to overcome.
Alyssa Medrano went 1 for 1 with a pair of walks and scored two runs to lead the Roadrunners' offense. Madeline Peralta took the loss, giving up nine runs (five earned) and seven hits over four innings.
Rio Hondo 2, Moorpark 1
Miranda Fernandez smashed a solo home run in the top of the first to set the tone early in the Roadrunners' first win of the season. Sarah Paneda drove in Rio Hondo's other run with a RBI groundout in the second.
Peralta bounced back from a rough outing to go the distance for the win. She allowed one unearned run and five hits while striking out five. Fernandez, Paneda, and Azucena Enriquez all went 2 for 3 to lead Rio Hondo at the plate.
LA Valley 7, Rio Hondo 6
The Roadrunners appeared to be on their way to another win after exploding for three runs in the bottom of the first against LA Valley. Gonzalez hit a two-run single to cap the rally and give Rio Hondo a 3-1 lead.
LA Valley got back into the game with a run in the fourth, another in the sixth, and went ahead for good with a four-run, seventh-inning. Rio Hondo made things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Arroyo drove in a pair of runs with a single and came in to score on a LA Valley error to get Rio Hondo within one run. But LA Valley pitcher Hanna Moulton retired the next two Rio Hondo batters to end the game.
Arroyo went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and a pair of runs to lead Rio Hondo. Amezcua took the loss despite a good outing. She allowed four earned runs and nine hits in the complete-game effort.
Up next: Rio Hondo (1-2-1 overall) returns to action on Tuesday (Jan. 29) at 3 p.m. when it hosts Orange Coast College in its 2019 home opener.