COC Insider: Cougar softball sure and steady

College of the Canyons freshman Alexis Avila rounds third base to meet her teammates at home plate after smacking a two-run home run in the fourth inning of game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader vs. San Diego Mesa. Avila finished the game 3-for-3 with six RBIs as COC cruised to an 8-0 victory. Jesse Munoz/COC Sports Information
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No. 13 College of the Canyons posted a pair of dominant shutout wins on Wednesday, blanking San Diego Mesa College 8-0 in both contests of a doubleheader to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Canyons made short work of the Olympians in both games, requiring just five innings to get the win both times out. COC tallied 24 hits on the day, compared to just four from the Mesa lineup.

In the opener, freshman third baseman Alexis Avila made her mark with six RBIs on a 3-for-3 batting performance. Avila finished just a single short of the cycle after recording a two-run triple in the second inning, a two-run home run in the fourth and a two-run double in the fifth.

COC freshman Micayla Aguilar produced the only other runs with a two-run home run in the third inning.

Freshman Heidi Ludy was also a perfect 3-for-3 in the game, and scored a pair of runs in the winning effort. Bailey Bodkin also scored two run while going 2-for-3 at the plate.

COC sophomore pitcher Sarah Wilson (2-0) made her first start of the season and showed no signs of rust, allowing just two hits and issuing a lone walk to go with her five strikeouts.

Head coach John Wissmath called upon sophomore Alexis Ramirez to start the second game and received nearly the same result. Ramirez (3-0) surrendered two hits and walked three batters on her way to the shutout.

At the plate, freshman shortstop Danielle Chatman carried the load with a 2-for-2 performance that netted three RBIs. In the bottom of the fifth, Chatman launched a two-run home run that gave COC a 6-0 lead.

Not to be outdone, Aguilar followed Chatman by blasting her second home run of the day. By the time Bodkin came to the plate three batters later, Canyons was leading 7-0 with runners on the corners. Bodkin’s single to center field drove home Sienna Vannoy and ended the game at 8-0.

Heidi Ludy and Melanie Abzun were both 2-for-2 on the day. Abuzn and Azmarheen Anderson scored two runs apiece.

Canyons returns to action at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, with a scheduled matchup vs. Santa Barbara City College.

COC baseball

Canyons extended its winning streak to five games with a 6-3 road win vs. Allan Hancock College on Wednesday.

The win was the second in as many days for COC (5-3), who also defeated East L.A. College 5-3 on Tuesday with a walk off three-run home run by outfielder Cole Kleszcz.

On Wednesday, the Cougars took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning before holding off a couple of late Bulldog rallies.

Hancock drew to within a run in the sixth inning, but that threat was quickly thwarted by a three-run outburst from the Cougars in the top of the seventh inning. Freshman Calvin Estrada got the scoring started with an RBI single that made it a 4-2 game. Wes Felber then doubled in two more runs to push the lead at 6-2.

Estrada went 4-of-5 on the day with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. Felber was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Chris May finished 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs.

The Bulldogs would get another run in the ninth before ultimately coming up short.

COC sophomore pitcher Chase Wheatcroft (2-0) had a stellar outing, allowing two runs and striking out four in his seven innings of work. Connor Dreyer picked up his second save of the season.

Canyons is scheduled to host Cerritos College at 12 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, weather permitting.

COC track & field

The COC track & field program saw its first action of the spring at last week’s Battle of the Regions meet hosted by Bakersfield College. The men’s and women’s teams combined for eight first place finishes on the day.

Canyons fared well in all event categories, with Cougars taking first place in a combination of sprints, distance, throwing, jumping and relay events.

COC’s women’s team won the meet with a score of 134 on the day. Moorpark College finished second at 102 and host Bakersfield was third with 86 points.

Cougar freshman Jasmine Hall won the 200m with a time of 26.73, and also took first place in the javelin with a throw of 31.28m.

Canyons also dominated the 800m and 1500m events. COC sophomore Lexi Whitman ran to a second place time of 2:32.27 in the 800m, and was trailed by teammates Díani Ellis (2:32.53) and Jessica Ruiz (2:35.30) in third and fourth place, respectively.

COC runners followed suit in the 1500m event with Whitman (5:05.16), Ruiz (5:05.67), Stephanie Martinez (5:06.07) and Ellis (5:06.96) taking the two through five spots.

Martinez also placed first in the 3000m with a time of 11:07.20.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Matthews took first place in the high jump with a mark of 1.57m. In the triple jump it was Keyana Session with a jump of 10.15m in first place.

Sophomore Samiyah Hawkins won the shot put with a throw of 11.65m. Hawkins also placed second in the discus at 33.28m.

On the men’s side COC finished third with 92.5 event points. That total trailed second place Bakersfield (96) and event champion Moorpark (152.5).

Canyons freshman Slade Cavallaro won the men’s 400h with a time of 1:00.7.

The men’s 4x400m relay team of Delon Buncio, Leo Lambert III, Connor Holcomb and Keion Broadus also took first after clocking in at 3:32.15.

COC’s 4x100m relay team of Lambert, Buncio, Louis Eusebi and Holcomb finished second at 43.82. Bakersfield placed first at 43.32.

Broadus was also a second place finisher in the 400m at a mark of 51.21.

Travis Larson took second in the 800m with a time of 2:02.16. Zachary Larson was second in the 100h at 17.15. Eric Sachs also placed second in the javelin after his top throw of 39.93m.

Canyons will return to Bakersfield on Friday, Feb. 24, to compete in the first conference meet of the season.

COC swim

The COC men’s and women’s swim teams got the season underway at the 2017 John Joseph Western State Conference (WSC) Pentathlon held at the Ventura Aquatic Center on Feb. 10, with the Cougars receiving standout performances from freshman Tyler Tran and sophomore Jessica Yamauchi.

Hosted by Ventura College, the meet featured a field of 10 women’s teams and seven men’s teams in a non-scoring competition. Each swimmer at the event competed in five events, which included the 100-yard butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, freestyle and individual medley.

Tran finished the day ranked second overall in the field of 54 pentathlon swimmers, after placing no lower than sixth place on the day. His performance was highlighted by a second place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.27. Tran also placed second in the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 57.70. He also brought home fourth place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (55.69) and backstroke (58.40), and a sixth place mark in the breast stroke event (1:06.74).

Yamauchi was the only event winner for Canyons, taking first place in the women’s 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.15. She also placed fifth in the women’s butterfly at a pace of 1:06.26. Overall, she ranked fifth among the field of 57 pentathlon swimmers.

Canyons will next compete at the Mt. SAC Invite on Friday, Feb. 24.

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