Softball: Peralta drives in three in Rio Hondo loss to Long Beach

Freshman Madeline Peralta smacked a bases-clearing triple as part of a five-run, fourth-inning for Rio Hondo College but that would be all the runs the Roadrunners would get in a 12-5 South Coast Conference interdivision loss to visiting Long Beach City College on Thursday.

Rio Hondo fell to 1-4-1 overall with the defeat while Long Beach moved to 7-0.

The Vikings jumped on Rio Hondo starting pitcher Arianna Amezcua early, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning and four more in the second.

The score remained 6-0 until the Roadrunners' rally in the fourth.

Katherine Arroyo led off the frame with a double off LBCC starter Joette Vega and came in to score two batters later on a RBI single by Amezcua. Long Beach relief pitcher Destinee Ripley walked Aspen Gonzalez before Amber Gutierrez singled to load the bases.

Peralta finally got Rio Hondo on the board thanks to her three-run triple. With Vega back in the circle, Azucena Enriquez' ground out allowed Peralta to come home and cut the Long Beach lead to one run at 6-5.

But the Vikings immediately responded with a five-run inning of their own in the top of the fifth. Two Rio Hondo errors proved costly, leading to four unearned runs off Peralta. Leading 11-5, Long Beach scored one final run in the seventh.

Arroyo, Amezcua, and Gutierrez all had two hits each to lead the Roadrunners at the plate. Amezcua took the loss, allowing six runs and six hits over three innings.

Rio Hondo returns to action on Friday (Feb. 8) and will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts San Diego City College in a 3 p.m. non-conference game.