Softball: Mt. SAC, El Camino Pull Away In SCC Races
Note-(all individual statistics listed are overall)
With the change this year from division-only games counting toward softball's conference record to including all games v. all South Coast Conference opponents, Mt. San Antonio and El Camino Colleges have proven that more games means more wins for them.
Mt. SAC (26-4 overall), ranked No. 4 in the state and No. 2 in the South, already clinched a tie for its third straight SCC North Division title (and fourth consecutive overall, 2016 was one conference) with a perfect 16-0 league record. The Mounties have been stingy, allowing one run or less in 22 victories, 15 by shutout. The duo of Briana Wheeler (15-1, 0.77 ERA) and Alexia Silva (7-2, 0.70 ERA) are each in the top four in state ERA. First baseman Vicky Gutierrez is batting .469 to top the team and the division.
Pasadena City (21-11), currently No. 10 in the SoCal poll, remains as the solid second place team in the North at 12-6. Chaffey (20-13) has a 4-game win streak and is not far behind in third place at 10-7, but the Lancers have clinched any tiebreaker, having won two games v. the Panthers. PCC is paced by hot-hitting shortstop Kaylee Medrano (.414) and stalwart pitcher Austyn Helmuth (8-6, 2.27 ERA). Chaffey's pitcher-outfielder Veronica Macias (.393 average) leads the conference in home runs with five and has 29 RBI.
In the South Division, El Camino (26-6), rated No. 8 in the state and No. 4 in the region, has won 10 straight games and clinched its third conference crown in a row at 16-2. The Warriors haven't lost since falling to new state #1 Cypress, 7-2, on March 23. Their only two conference losses were low-scoring, 1-run losses to Mt. SAC. ECC has had outstanding pitching during their win streak, which includes five shutouts and only 13 runs allowed. Like Mt. SAC, El Camino has a formidable pitching duo in Jocelyn Hernandez (10-1, 1.35 ERA) and Elizabeth Cortez (8-3, 1.37). Offensively, third baseman Diamond Lewis is batting .455 and her 30 stolen bases are second in the state.
Meanwhile, Long Beach City (18-16) and Cerritos (14-16) are battling it out for second place, each 9-9 in conference. LBCC shortstop Jade Wittman tops all conference batters with a .481 average.