Cougars Split Road Doubleheader at Chaffey Behind Timely Hitting, Strong Pitching

Taft College split a road doubleheader at Chaffey on Feb. 6 in Rancho Cucamonga, dropping the opener 5-4 on a walk-off rally before answering with a 5-3 win in a six-inning nightcap shortened by darkness. The Cougars combined for 19 hits on the day and rode a complete-game effort from pitcher Mischa Mott in Game 2 to secure the split.

In Game 1, Taft built an early 3-0 lead and carried a 4-1 advantage into the bottom of the seventh before Chaffey staged a four-run comeback to take a 5-4 win. The Cougars struck first in the top of the first inning when Cadence Mizener lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Katelynn Moore for a 1-0 lead. Taft kept the pressure on in the third: Mott doubled in Mizener, and Jazzy Juarez followed with an RBI double of her own, pushing the margin to 3-0.

Chaffey chipped away with a single run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-1, but Taft's offense added important insurance in the seventh. The Cougars' final run made it 4-1 heading into the bottom half, where starter Jada Mizener looked to close out a complete-game victory. Instead, Chaffey pieced together a decisive four-run frame, stringing together multiple run-scoring hits and capitalizing on a Taft error to flip the game in its final at-bat.

The Panthers' rally in the seventh featured an RBI single by A. Waite, an RBI double from L. Chappell, an error that allowed another run to score and an RBI single from R. Garcia-Pa that completed the comeback and handed Taft the 5-4 loss. Mizener worked 6 2/3 innings in the circle, allowing 10 hits and five runs (four earned) with one strikeout over 109 pitches. Offensively, Mott led the Cougars with a three-hit performance that included a run-scoring double and two RBIs, while Juarez added a run-scoring double as Taft matched Chaffey with 10 hits but stranded eight runners.

Taft answered in Game 2 behind a fast start and a strong outing from Mott, earning a 5-3 win in a game called after six innings due to darkness. The Cougars again struck first in the opening frame, using timely hitting to jump in front 2-0. Keona Comilang singled to drive in Moore for the game's first run, and Juarez reached on a fielder's choice that plated another, giving Taft early momentum.

Comilang extended the lead in the second inning with a run-scoring groundout that pushed the advantage to 3-0. Chaffey answered in the bottom of the third with its biggest inning of the game, using the long ball to pull even. M. Enriquez started the rally with a solo home run, and F. Cano followed later in the inning with a two-run shot to tie the score at 3-3.

The Cougars quickly reclaimed control in the fifth. Taft pushed across two runs in the inning—keyed by contact throughout the lineup and Mott helping her own cause—to move back in front 5-3. From there, Mott and the defense took over, holding Chaffey scoreless over the final three innings. The game was halted after the sixth due to darkness, sealing the 5-3 Cougars victory.

Mott was outstanding in the circle in Game 2, throwing all six innings and limiting Chaffey to four hits and three earned runs while striking out six on 87 pitches. Taft again tallied 10 hits and did not strike out in the contest, with Comilang driving in two runs and Moore collecting two hits and a stolen base to help set the table.

Next games are on the road at San Bernardino Valley College on February 12.