By Moses Leos III
Taking advantage of runners in scoring position Saturday allowed the Lehman Lady Lobos to crush the Anderson Lady Trojans 9-0 at Lobo Field.
The Lady Lobo offense amassed 13 total hits on the day, eight off of Lady Trojan pitcher Jess Grefe; Anderson’s starting pitcher lasted 2.2 innings, conceding seven walks. Lady Lobo outfielder Clarissa Rayos went 3-for-4 at the plate, with two RBIs, a walk and two stolen bases.
Staying patient despite inconsistency from Grefe paid dividends for the Lady Lobos. According to head coach Kita Adams, Lehman has struggled at times with discipline at the plate.
“I think we did a great job of staying patient and swinging at those good pitches,” Adams said. “It’s hard. It’s easy to get antsy with pitchers like that. We did a good job with that.”
In addition, the Lady Lobos thrived on the base paths, using their aggressive style and speed to cause issues for Anderson.
Lehman gained a 1-0 first inning lead following a sacrifice fly RBI from Lady Lobo Gabi Martinez. They proceeded to load the bases with two outs.
But base running miscues hindered Lehman, ending the threat; a similar theme followed in the second inning, as Lehman couldn’t capitalize with the bases loaded.
The Lady Lobos finally broke through in the third inning. Following a walk, Lehman junior Kyns Noriega blasted an RBI triple to deep left center field to put Lehman up 2-0.
From there, the Lady Lobos opened the spigot, scoring five more runs in the inning. In total, Lehman sent 11 batters to the plate and recorded seven hits to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Lehman went 5 for 7 with RISP in the inning.
Adams attributed the Lady Lobos success to execution at the plate and on the bases. Lehman’s Noriega said the team was “seeing the ball better” and adjusting to Grefe’s slow speed.
While the Lehman offense succeeded, pitcher Karina Reta found her groove. Strong command guided Reta, who kept the Anderson offense off-balance toward a complete game shutout. Reta went the distance, giving up only eight hits and gathering three stirkouts.
Only three times did an Anderson Lady Trojan reach scoring position against Reta; she thwarted each threat, guided by solid defensive play behind her.
The Lady Lobos added their final two runs in the fifth inning.
With the win, Lehman continues to keep pace in 14-6A play. Consistency will be the key for Adams.
For Noriega, it’s building confidence that’s an important factor.
“I feel like we’ve been playing scared lately, but hopefully this boosts our confidence and we’ll do it more often,” she said.
Next Up
The Lady Lobos will play Westlake at home March 24.
