MOAKLEY HOMERS IN BACK TO BACK GAMES AS MARAUDERS LOSE TWO OF THREE

PHOTOS By Byron Devers

AVC Softball topped East LA 8-3 on Friday, then lost both games in Saturday's doubleheader against Palomar.

The Marauder bats came alive on Friday as AVC jumped out to an early 4-run lead in the 2nd inning against East LA. Alyssa Weinreb got it started with an RBI single scoring Ariel Nieto. It was then Savannah Moakley, who did the majority of the damage with a 3-RBI home run, her first of the season. 

The Huskies would come back, scoring a run in the third and two in the 4th inning to pull within one. But the Marauders kept the offense rolling in the 5th inning as Maritza Arroyo hit an RBI double scoring Alexa Alvarez. Arroyo and Kaitlyn Cronin then scored after an error to give AVC a 7-3 lead. Both Cronin and Arroyo would finish 2-for-3 on the day. 

Ashley Mcirvin added an insurance run in the 6th inning as she also hit her first home run of the season. Mcirvin finished 1-for-1 with an RBI, while Alyssa Weinreb finished 2-for-2 with an RBI. Moakley finished 1-for-3 with 3 RBIs. 

Brianna Garrett had five strikeouts in three innings of work. The team scored their eight runs on ten hits but also had four errors.

The Marauders climbed back to .500 with a 4-4 record. But it would only last a day as they ran into a tough Palomar team on Saturday. 

The first game of Saturday's doubleheader was scoreless until Palomar scored first in the top of the 3rd inning. AVC came back quickly in the bottom of the inning when freshman Savannah Moakley hit her second home run in as many games. It would, unfortunately, be the only run of the game for the Marauders. As the defense collapsed, AVC then gave up ten runs over the next three innings, including two solo home runs. 

Three errors contributed to the 11-1 loss as the Marauders gave up 11 hits while only managing four hits.

Antelope Valley would look to split the doubleheader with a win in game two. They jumped out to an early 1-0 lead scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning as Alexa Alvarez reached home on a fielder's choice. 

The Comets responded with an RBI double in the 2nd inning and a couple of solo homers in the 3rd and 5th innings. AVC would close the gap to within a run in the 5th when Alvarez hit an RBI double to score Ashley Mcirvin. But the Marauder defense couldn't hold the Comets as they exploded for five runs in the 6th inning led by a solo home run and a 2-RBI homer.

AVC finished with two hits compared to Palomar's nine hits in the 8-2 loss. The Marauders, now 4-6, will look to bounce back with a home game against Riverside on Tuesday, February 11th, at 2:30 pm.