SANTA ROSA — It was a pure defensive battle between the Santa Rosa Lady Warriors and the Lyford Lady Bulldogs in their District 32-3A softball game on Friday night.
Both teams remained scoreless until the seventh inning when Lyford’s Jerrica Rojas’ hit to left field brought in Leilani Salazar for game’s only run.
Rojas was also the winning pitcher as she iced the game with nine strikeouts and made the final out to seal Lyford’s 1-0 victory.
The Lady Bulldog’s remained perfect in league play with a 3-0 record and head coach Joe Rios wants his team to continue to find success.
“We were hitting the ball all night and made it count when we needed to,” Rios said. “Santa Rosa’s a tough ballclub to beat, but our girls did the little things right, which resulted in our win.”
Santa Rosa’s closest opportunity to score came in the sixth when Gisselle Espinoza attempted to steal third base and a Lady Bulldog error gave her the green light to go home.
However, Espinoza was tagged out at home plate by Lyford catcher Jessica Cruz that not only saved the run but also closed out the sixth inning.
Cruz also contributed offensively by drilling a ball to left field that gave her Lady Bulldogs the spark it needed. Cruz was then subbed out at second base by pinch runner Salazar, who went on to score the game-winning run on Rojas’ single.
“Our team is really building its chemistry well and it showed tonight,” said Rios. “We’re just going to continue to ride the wave and play tough down the stretch.”
The Lady Bulldog’s will now travel to Monte Alto to take on the Lady Blue Devils on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.