Cougars split offensive doubleheader with Cerro Coso

Cougars split offensive doubleheader with Cerro Coso

Runs were easy to come by for the winning teams of a Central Valley Conference doubleheader between Taft College and visiting Cerro College on Tuesday. Cerro Coso opened the afternoon's action with a 17-4 win over the Cougars before Taft sent the Coyotes home after an impressive 19-3 bounce-back win.

Cierra Papademetriou, who was hitless in her last 10 games, broke out of an 0-for-24 slump by going 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of home runs and 3 RBI in the Game 2 victory.

But she wasn't the only Cougar with a huge game offensively. Taft totaled 13 hits was relentless in scoring five runs in the first inning, four times in the second, twice in the third, and closed it out with an eight-run rally in the fourth.

Calli Martin and Morgan Thomas both went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs each in the win. Martin smacked a two-run home run in the first inning of Game 2 as part of the five-run surge to open the contest.

Allie Dobbs was held in the ball park, but went 2-for-3 with a double and 3 RBI. She also earned her first win of the season in the circle for Taft. Dobbs went the distance, allowing two earned runs and three hits in just her second appearance.

In Game 1, Taft led early after posting three runs in the first to go out in front 3-1. The Cougars held a narrow 3-2 lead before Cerro Coso rallied for seven runs in the third and put the game out of reach with eight runs in the fourth.

The Cougars totaled just three hits in the opener. Dobbs, Thomas, Papademetriou, and Jessica Silva drove in runs for Taft in the defeat. In the circle, Isabelle Martinez took the loss after allowing six earned runs and 12 hits over 4 1/3 innings.

With the split, Taft moved to 8-18 overall and 1-7 in Central Valley Conference play. The Cougars return to CVC action on Thursday (Mar. 28) at 2 p.m. when they host Merced College.