Coyotes stun #1 Salt Lake
It has been a battle all week long for CSN pitcher
Sarah Rivera.
After battling illness most of the week, Rivera knew she had to get well in time to face top-ranked Salt Lake Community College this weekend. She came up just short in the first game of Friday's doubleheader after giving it her best -- or so she thought.
"When I woke up this morning, I was fired up," Rivera said. "I knew all I had to do was not change a thing, but be more positive and try and push this team to victory."
Little did Rivera know that she would be a part of history on Saturday. Key pitching, timely hitting, and outstanding defense were all factors in the Coyotes' stunning 3-0 shutout victory over No. 1 Salt Lake in the first game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader at the Russell Road Recreation Complex. SLCC won the second game, 8-0.
"It feels so unreal," Rivera said. "It honestly feels like something I dream about all the time, but until today, I never really knew for sure that I could do it. I have to pinch myself."
"Sarah pitched an excellent game," CSN head coach Callen Perreira said. "She hit her spots and moved the ball well. (Considering) she was under the weather all week, it was a gutsy performance."
The win snapped the Bruins' 18-game winning streak, and also marked the first time in school history that CSN softball has defeated a No. 1-ranked team.
"It was a great win for the players," Perreira said. "(The win) takes our program to new heights."
The offensive spark that set off the Coyotes was when
Tiffani Taylor crushed a 2-2 pitch over the center field wall with two outs in the third inning to open up the scoring. Following the home run,
Mikela Manewa drew a walk, then stole second base during
Hope Curtis' at-bat. Curtis reached on a throwing error by Salt Lake third baseman Lauryn Kirschner, allowing Manewa to come around and score to make it 2-0.
"Tiffani is my girl," Rivera said. "I know no matter what, I can get 100% from her every minute of every day. Her home run was the tiny push we needed to go out there and shut down Salt Lake."
CSN (13-12, 8-8 SWAC) added another run in the fifth on a suicide squeeze bunt by Manewa that scored
Erin Romero.
"Tiffani's home run ignited the offense," Perreira added. "It instilled confidence in the rest of the team against a dominant pitcher."
That "dominant pitcher" for the Bruins was MaCauley Flint, who came into the weekend with a 9-1 record, a 0.68 ERA, and 104 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. Despite the solid numbers, the Coyotes found a way to win.
Salt Lake (21-4, 15-1 SWAC) threatened late by loading the bases up in the top of the seventh, but Susan Duke lined out to second baseman
Tiani Hensley to seal the victory and the shutout.
Destinee Chang went 2-for-3 to lead the CSN offense. Taylor finished 1-for-2 with an RBI.
"As long as my girls manufacture runs, I'll produce strikes and ground balls for them to make plays," Rivera said. "I would be nowhere without the rest of the team."