TC Softball sweeps Porterville in home softball doubleheader
Taft College closed its Tuesday doubleheader with a sweep, edging Porterville 5-4 in eight innings in Game 1 before pulling away for a 10-5 win in Game 2 at the Cougar softball field.
The opener turned on Taft's final trip to the plate. After Porterville erased a four-run deficit and tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh, the Cougars answered in the bottom of the eighth to end it 5-4. Taft had built control early, scoring twice in the second inning and twice more in the third for a 4-0 lead. Porterville chipped away with one run in the fourth, two in the fifth and the tying run in the seventh, but Taft delivered the deciding run in extra innings.
Mischa Mott played a central role in the first win. Mott earned the victory in relief, working three innings and allowing one earned run while striking out six. She also produced at the plate, collecting three hits and driving in two runs. Taft finished with 14 hits in Game 1, compared with eight for Porterville, and pressured the visitors throughout despite leaving seven runners on base. Porterville's Alexandrea Andrighetto went the distance in the circle and took the loss after allowing four earned runs over eight innings. Klarissa Manrriquez had three hits and two RBIs for Porterville, and Morgynn Wylie scored twice and hit a home run.
The second game was more decisive after an early response by Taft. Porterville scored first in the top of the first inning, but the Cougars matched it in the bottom half and then began to separate. Taft moved in front with another run in the second, broke the game open with a four-run third inning and added two runs in both the fourth and sixth. By the end of the sixth, the Cougars had stretched the margin to 10-3. Porterville scored twice in the seventh, but Taft did not need to bat in the bottom half.
Jazzy Juarez led the Game 2 offense with two home runs and five RBIs. Cadence Mizener added three hits, two doubles, two RBIs and three runs, while Keona Comilang also had three hits, scored three times and homered. Mott returned to the circle and delivered six innings for the win, allowing one earned run and striking out seven as Taft limited Porterville to six hits. The Cougars again totaled 14 hits, giving them 28 across the doubleheader.
Across both games, Taft combined timely hitting with steady work in the circle to complete the sweep. The Cougars survived the late push in the opener, then backed it up with a stronger offensive finish in the nightcap, punctuated by Juarez's two-home run performance and the go-ahead extra-inning run that secured the first victory.