Warden softball sweeps Royal

ROYAL CITY - The Cougars closed out regular season play in fine fashion with a twin bill sweep on the road against the Knights in Royal City Tuesday.

The victories improved Warden to 10-2 in league play and 18-2 overall, and allows the second place Cougars to host a first round game in the 1A SCAC District Tournament May 16.

"It was the hottest day of the year and I didn't want a melting effort," coach Wes Richins said. "The girls played hard and made some adjustments and took care of business."

Warden 11

Royal 0

Freshman Aaliyah Enriquez (11-1) fanned eight Knights and pitched around six walks in a one-hit 11-0 shutout win in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

The contest was never in doubt as the Cougars brought runners across the plate in all five innings of the game that ended early after the 10-run mercy rule took effect.

Bianca Hernandez had the hot stick for Warden going two-for-two with a triple, Iris Rodriguez had two hits in three at bats with a double, and Brylee Whitney finished with two hits in three plate appearances.

Warden 23

Royal 4

Iris Rodriguez (7-1) went four-for-five at the plate with a grand slam, a double and seven RBI, and was also the winning pitcher of record as she struck out nine Knights in route to the lopsided win.

The Cougars put 10 runs on the board in the top of the first inning, and then added four in the second to race out front 14-0. Royal got a run back in the bottom of the second, but Warden put seven on the Knights in the top of the third to take a 20-run lead.

Haley Yamane collected four of the 17 Cougar hits, two of which were doubles. She also had four RBI. Allycia Gonzales had two hits in three attempts with a double and three RBI, Bianca Hernandez was two-for-four with a triple, and Aaliyah Enriquez finished with two hits in five plate appearances with a double.

"Our pitching was not very sharp, but our defense really stepped it up," Richins said. "Bianca (Cougar catcher) picked off three runners, and Brylee (Whitney) continues to swing a hot bat."

The Cougars are the East Conference No. 2 seed and will host a first round district playoff game against the West's No. 3 seed May 16 at 4 p.m. Their opponent is yet to be determined.