Cougars Split Home Doubleheader With Hartnell

Taft College opened its home doubleheader against Hartnell College with a late defensive stand to secure a 5-4 win in Game 1 before Hartnell answered with an 11-3 victory in Game 2 on Saturday at the TC Softball Field. The Cougars used power hitting and timely pitching to take the opener, then saw Hartnell's offense surge early in the nightcap to earn the split.

In Game 1, Taft took control with a three-run fourth inning and then held off a seventh-inning rally to close out the 5-4 decision. The Cougars struck first in the bottom of the second to go up 1-0, then responded immediately after Hartnell tied the game in the top of the fourth. Taft answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to build a 4-1 lead, added an insurance run in the fifth and carried a 5-2 advantage into the seventh.

Hartnell made things tight in its final at-bat, pushing across two runs in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to 5-4. Reliever Jada Mizener came on to record the final three outs and seal the win, working around a hit and a walk to notch the save and prevent the tying run from coming all the way around. Taft's defense backed the pitching staff with a clean game in the field aside from one miscue, while Hartnell was held to six hits.

Offensively, Mischa Mott powered the Cougars in the opener. The sophomore went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs, accounting for most of Taft's run production. Her long balls helped drive the Cougars' middle-innings surge and provided enough cushion to withstand Hartnell's late push. In the circle, Mott also earned the win, working 6.0 innings and allowing four earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts before turning the ball over to Mizener for the seventh.

Hartnell's offense in Game 1 was led by Hannah Sanchez, who finished 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Michelle Wallace added a 2-for-4 effort with a double and an RBI as Hartnell finished with six hits and five walks but stranded six runners on base. Taft matched Hartnell with six hits of its own, including four that left the park, and took advantage of its opportunities with runners on base.

Hartnell flipped the script in Game 2, jumping on top with a six-run first inning and never relinquishing control in an 11-3 win. The Panthers' offense stayed aggressive, adding three more runs in the third and two in the fifth to build an 11-0 lead and put consistent pressure on the Cougars' pitching staff. Taft broke through with three runs but could not mount the kind of extended rally it produced in the opener.

Hartnell finished with 13 hits in the nightcap, highlighted by a pair of multi-extra-base-hit performances. Sanchez capped a standout doubleheader by going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and an RBI in Game 2. Aaliyah Cordova added a triple, a home run and three RBIs as part of a 2-for-2 line with two walks, while Kalea De Leon went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs. In the circle, Katrina Longoria worked five innings for Hartnell, allowing three earned runs on five hits with three walks to earn the win.

Taft managed four hits and three walks in the second game and stayed aggressive on the bases with three stolen bases, but Hartnell's early surge proved too much to overcome. Despite the setback in Game 2, the Cougars' Game 1 performance — fueled by Mott's two-way effort and Mizener's late-inning relief — delivered a positive start to the doubleheader and provided momentum as Taft moves deeper into its March schedule.