Panthers open conference play with doubleheader sweep over College of the Desert

The Chaffey softball team played host to the College of the Desert Roadrunners on Monday as they opened the 2026 Inland Empire Athletic Conference competition. (The doubleheader was rescheduled from last Friday due to violent wind conditions.)

The Panthers struck early as freshman shortstop Nevaeha Tarin drove in freshman second baseman Micayla Arreola for the game’s first run. Tarin and sophomore Rosyvette Garcia-Pacheco pulled off a successful double steal with Garcia-Pacheco coming across for the 2-0 lead.

One out later, freshman first baseman Mia Britt crushed a double to score Tarin.

Chaffey kept the offensive firepower on in the 2nd inning as Arreola tripled home freshman right fielder Makayla Enriquez and scored herself on a Garcia RBI.

Sophomore third baseman Fernanda Cano added a two-run RBI single to make it 7-0.

The third inning brought more of the same as sophomore center fielder Lauren Chappell doubled and Enriquez drove her in with a single. After an Arreola double, Garcia-Pacheco drove in Enriquez with a single. Arreola and Garcia-Pacheco pulled off another double steal to make it 10-0 Chaffey.

Desert finally got on the board with a sacrifice fly RBI in the top of the fourth.

The Panthers closed out the scoring in the bottom of the 4th when freshman Jadyn Bagwell doubled home freshman Sarah Hernandez for an 11-1 Chaffey lead.

Freshman pitcher Bryanna Ortega shut down the Roadrunner lineup in the top of the fifth to pick up her sixth win of the season, finishing with a 4-hitter.

Game two was a much tighter affair as Chaffey held on for a 5-2 win. 

Garcia-Pacheco opened the scoring in the 1st inning when Tarin drew a bases-loaded walk and then freshman Tatiana Navarro followed with a two-run RBI single to make it 3-0.

In the 3rd, sophomore Yasmine Brezic singled to bring home Tarin, making it 4-0.

The Panthers added their final run when Cano hit a solo home run in the 4th.

Starting pitcher Mia Britt encountered a COD rally in the fifth as the Roadrunners scored a pair of runs. Hernandez came into the game and shut down the rally and threw a scoreless 6th and 7th to pick up the save. Britt improved her record to 2-0 on the season and Chaffey now stands at 2-0 in IEAC play, 12-7 overall.

Photo credit by John Ho