Canyon coach Jeanette Sauceda Reynolds wanted to see her team bounce back.
And bounce back they did.
Behind a big inning and some late-game heroics, the Canyon Cowboys secured their first Foothill League win of the season by defeating the West Ranch Wildcats, 5-4, Thursday at Canyon High.
“Definitely a good turn around and good failure recovery from our team,” Sauceda Reynolds said.
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The Cowboys (10-10 overall, 1-3 in Foothill) took an early 4-2 lead by scoring four runs in the third, highlighted by Meisha Murray’s two-run double to the gap in left-center.
But West Ranch (8-12, 1-3) responded by plating one run in the fifth and sixth to even the score 4-4.
“They really showed a lot of grit,” said West Ranch coach Jay Creps on his team’s ability to fight back. “I give them a lot of credit for that.”
After failing to secure the lead, Canyon recovered in the bottom of the sixth.
With two outs and Melissa Spencer standing on second base, Erika Andrus popped a bloop single to left to drive in Spencer for the game-winning RBI.
Prep softball: Canyon earns first Foothill League victory of the season with 5-4 win over West Ranch. @SignalSports pic.twitter.com/17x8RXoodx
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“I was just happy to make contact for my team,” said Andrus, who finished 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. “I’ve been struggling a little bit, so making contact was all I was looking for.”
Jessica Goodspeed picked up the win for Canyon with her complete-game effort. Goodspeed allowed four earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
“I was trusting in my screwball, which was my best pitch today, and my coaches calling (pitches) and my defense behind me,” Goodspeed said.
Trailing by one, the Wildcats threatened to tie the score or take the lead in the seventh.
Sara Olson and Jaclyn Napoli hit back-to-back two-out singles and advanced into scoring position with aggressive base running, setting the stage for clean-up hitter and St. John’s signee Kalei Sorensen.
On the first pitch to Sorensen, Goodspeed induced a ground ball back to the circle for the final out the game.
Murray finished 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Kate Post went 2-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI for Canyon.
Emily Peirano went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Sorensen finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Adrienne Chang finished 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI for West Ranch.
Saugus 11, Hart 3
Ryleigh Bermea hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to power the Centurions (13-9, 3-1) past the Indians. Libbie McMahan and Angeline Riley split the pitching duties, with McMahan tossing 3 2/3 innings of scoreless softball.
Jordyn Gasper, Brooke Marquez and Andrea Cespedes each had two hits for Hart (12-9, 1-3).