Chaffey holds off Mt. San Jacinto to take sole possession of first place

MSJC visited Chaffey in an Inland Empire Athletic Conference softball showdown on Wednesday. The two teams have combined to win the past four conference titles, with MSJC winning in 2025.

Sophomore third baseman Fernanda Cano opened the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning.  Freshman right fielder Makayla Enriquez drove in another with a one-out single, plating freshman Khila Estrada, who had earlier drawn a walk as Chaffey jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

San Jacinto answered with RBI singles in the 3rd and 4th to tie the game at 2-apiece.

The Panthers responded with three straight hits in the bottom half of the inning. The third, a single by Enriquez, knocked in sophomore catcher Allison Waite, who had singled to start the rally, giving Chaffey a 3-2 lead.

The Eagles answered in the top of the fifth, tying the game once again on an RBI single.

Freshman pitcher Sarah Hernandez replaced starter Bryanna Ortega in the sixth and held MSJC scoreless.

In the bottom of the sixth, Enriquez hit a one-out single and advanced to 2nd on a groundout.  Sophomore left fielder Rosyvette Garcia-Pacheco then drilled a triple down the right field line, driving in Enriquez with what proved to be the winning run.

Hernandez gave up a single and a pair of walks in the 7th to load the bases before inducing a groundout to finish up the 4-3 win, as she improved her season record to 5-3.

Freshman shortstop Neveaha Tarin finished 3-3 at the plate, with a pair of doubles, and Enriquez also went 3-3 as the Panthers moved to 3-0 in IEAC play and 13-7 overall.

Photo credit by Larry Mowrey