6/25/10: Four softball players sign letters of intent
 The softball team broke a ton of offensive records in 2010 and in doing so, landed on a number of 4-year scouting lists. Following the season, four Gauchos have signed on the dotted line to continue their respective careers.
Starr White, Sarah Bosshart, Stephanie Chotkevys and Megan Geier have all signed letters of intent following the 2010 campaign. The sophomores have all decided to continue their softball careers at the next level, according to the softball office.
White signed to play at Cal Baptist University after breaking all the power records at Saddleback in 2010. She hit 17 home runs while batting .376 at the plate, breaking every record for home runs and setting the mark for extra base hits in a season (25). Cal Baptist is located in Riverside, California, and is a power in the NAIA ranks. The Lancers finished 64-4 in 2010, losing in the national semifinals.
Chotkevys will continue her career at Central Connecticut State University after a big season for the Gauchos, when she batted .347 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI, finishing second on the team with a .745 slugging percentage. Central Connecticut is located in New Britain, Connecticut, and plays an NCAA DI schedule in the Northeast Conference.
Both Bosshart and Geier will continue their respective careers at Colorado State University-Pueblo. Bosshart started all 47 games for the Gauchos at catcher, leading Saddleback in batting (.376), runs scored (50), stolen bases (7) and sacrifices (10). Geier played in 34 games for the Gauchos, and was the only player that played in more than 30 games not to commit an error on defense. Colorado State-Pueblo is located in Pueblo, Colorado, and plays in the Rocky Mountain Conference at the NCAA DII level.
Saddleback finished the 2010 season 35-12 overall, losing in the regional finals to eventual state champion Cypress College.
5/8/10: Gauchos to play Cypress in winner’s bracket
 The Saddleback softball team advanced to the winner’s bracket of the Southern California Super Regional Tournament at Cypress College on Friday afternoon with a 6-1 win over East Los Angeles College. The Gauchos will take on Orange Empire Conference rival Cypress College in the winner’s bracket at 2:00 on Saturday for a chance to play in the regional finals on Sunday.
Saddleback was seeded No. 6 for the regional tournament and defeated the No. 3 seeded Huskies on Friday afternoon when pitcher Katie Doering tossed a 2-hitter for the Gauchos. Saddleback scored three times in the first inning and two more times in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead on East Los Angeles, a team known for its pitching and defense. Doering walked just three batters in improving to 22-4 on the season.
Saddleback finished with 13 hits against East LA ace Kaelynn Armenta, who suffered the loss. Sara Sutton led the Gauchos with three hits in four at-bats as only one Saddleback starter finished without a hit. Sarah Bosshart, Starr White and Chelsea Lievanos all had two hits in the winning effort.
The Gauchos still remain one home run shy of the state record of 66 hit by Cerritos College in 2009, as Saddleback was held without a home run on the day.
Saddleback will face conference foe Cypress in a winner’s bracket game today at 2:00. A win would send the Gauchos to the regional finals on Sunday. If Saddleback were to lose to Cypress, they would face the winner of Riverside and East Los Angeles at 4:00 PM in an elimination game. Riverside and East Los Angeles play an elimination game today at 12-noon.
Saddleback finished 1-2 against Cypress in 2010, with the Chargers outscoring the Gauchos 8-5 in three games.
5/4/10: Gauchos to open against East LA on Friday
  The Saddleback softball team will open up the Super Regional Tournament against East Los Angeles College on Friday at 4:00 PM at Cypress College. The Gauchos (33-10) and Huskies (34-8) have not met since 2006 and will follow a matchup of two Orange Empire Conference foes as Cypress College (36-6) and Riverside College (28-13) open the regional at 2:00 PM.
Saddleback was seeded No. 6 in the Southern California playoffs and finished 3-3 against the three teams in the regional. The Gauchos defeated Riverside in 2-of-3 games this season while dropping 2-of-3 to Cypress. East Los Angeles finished 1-0 against the rest of the field, beating Riverside 3-0 back on February 16. The Huskies were seeded No. 3 in Southern California after finishing third in the rugged South Coast Conference behind No. 1 seeded Cerritos and No. 4 Mt. San Antonio. No. 2 Cypress defeated No. 7 Riverside in 2-of-3 games this season.
  Losers of the opening round games on Friday will play an elimination game on Saturday at 12-noon. The winner’s bracket game will follow. Another elimination game is expected to begin around 4:00 PM on Saturday with a regional champion to be determined on Sunday. The winner of the regional will move on to play in the state tournament next weekend in Bakersfield.
How they got here:
No. 6 Saddleback versus No. 11 Palomar, W 3-2, L 3-4, W 8-5
No. 3 East LA versus No. 14 Antelope Valley, W 1-0, L 1-4, W 12-0
No. 2 Cypress versus No. 15 Moorpark, W 7-1, W 2-0
No. 7 Riverside versus No. 10 LA Harbor, W 2-0, W 5-1
Players to watch:
Pitching
Kaelynn Armenta, East LA, 18-6, 2.07 ERA (140 K’s in 175.1 innings)
Katrina Pinkowski, Cypress, 18-4, 1.87 ERA (112 K’s in 108.2 innings)
Tracy Hampton, Riverside, 17-5, 2.17 ERA (42 walks in 141.2 innings)
Katie Doering, Saddleback, 21-5, 1.35 ERA (33 walks in 133.1 innings)
Hitting
Nicole Nobbe, Cypress, .466 BA, 36 runs scored, .533 OB%
Amanda Fama, Cypress, .419 BA, 7 HR, 35 RBI
Vanessa Alvarado, Cypress, .402 BA, 26 RBI, 5 K’s
Stephanie Szweb, Riverside, .433 BA, 37 runs scored, 7 K’s
Jackie Serna, Riverside, .417 BA, 8 HR’s, 41 RBI
Audriana Gutierrez, Riverside, .328 BA, 4 HR, 38 RBI
Ariana Atwater, East LA, .368 BA, 23 RBI, 4 K’s
Elizabeth Lopez, East LA, .348 BA, 15 doubles, 30 RBI
Samantha Montiel, East LA, .328 BA, 6 triples, 29 runs scored
Starr White, Saddleback, .411 BA, 17 HR, 42 RBI
Kelly Bosshart, .388 BA, 8 HR, 38 RBI
Ashley Putkamer, .359, 8 HR, 34 RBI
Inside the Numbers:
Saddleback now stands on 65 home runs for the season, one shy of the state record set by Cerritos College in 2009. Starr White has 17 home runs on the season, tied with Cerritos College catcher Samatha Vaaulu for the state lead. With 42 RBI, White is five short of the program record 47 recorded by Lauren Molina in 2008. Saddleback has now scored 317 runs on the season, surpassing the team record of 303 set in 2008. The Gauchos now have 387 hits on the season, 36 shy of the program record (423) set in 2008. Their .342 batting average entering last weekend is on pace to break the program record of .329 in 2008. The 33 wins in 2010 is five short of the program record 38 set in 1987, 1988 and 1999. With 395 career wins, head coach Nick Trani is five wins short of 400 in his 16th season at Saddleback.
5/02/10: Softball wins regional series to advance
 The Saddleback softball team was able to defeat Palomar in a best-of-three series during the first round of the CCCAA Softball Southern Regional to advance to the Super Regional round May 7-9 which will be held at Cypress College.
The Gauchos (33-10) lost the day's opening game, 4-3, giving up three runs in the sixth inning and then having the tying run get thrown at the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. That loss forced a third and deciding game against Palomar (21-13).
Saddleback jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second inning as Blyth Ashby and Starr White each hit two-out, three-run home runs. For White, it was her 17th homer of the season and helped her regain the state lead in that category. It also gave Saddleback 65 home runs as a team, one shy of the state record.
The Gauchos added a run in the third inning as Megan Geier reached on an error and later scored on Megan Boardman's ground out to third base.
Saddleback's final run came in the fourth inning as Sarah Bosshart singled to start the inning, advanced to second, then took third and home on two wild pitches.
Gaucho pitcher Jessica Mattes (1-2) absorbed the loss in the opening game and Katie Doering (21-4) earned the win in the third game. Doering struck out two and walked two.
All of the top eight seeds won their round 1 playoff series to advance. Saddleback, the No. 6 seed, will play in a Super Regional hosted by Cypress College on Friday through Sunday, May 7-9. Saddleback will face the No. 3 seed East Los Angeles College on Friday. Although the game time was originally scheduled for 4:00 p.m. that slot may be moved to 2:00 p.m. to give the host school a later time slot. More information will be posted here as it becomes available.
5/01/10: Gauchos pull out a 3-2 win in playoff opener
 The Saddleback softball team squeaked by Palomar with a 3-2 win in the opening game of a best-of-3 series against the Comets on Saturday night and now needs just one win on Sunday to advance to the Super Regional round next weekend.
Palomar got on the scoreboard first, pushing across a run in the top of the third inning on three singles and aided by one of Saddleback's four defensive errors on the night. But the Gauchos bounced back and tied the score in the bottom of the inning when Blyth Ashby reached base on a two-out infield single and scored when Sarah Bosshart doubled to left center field. The Gauchos added two more in the bottom of the fifth inning when Ashby's two-out single scored Chelsea Lievanos who had reached base on an error. Ashby then scored on Bosshart's single to left field.
Palomar threatened in the top of the seventh inning when Marissa Valdez singled and Regina Norris was hit by a pitch. But Saddleback secured the victory with a game-ending double play as third baseman Starr White fielded Theresa Houle's hard grounder, touched third base, and threw over to first in time to get Houle.
Saddleback pitcher Katie Doering improved to 20-4 on the year, striking out five batters and not walking any. Palomar's Danielle LeBeau (9-9) struck out nine Gauchos but absorbed the loss.
These teams will meet again at 2:00 p.m. on the Saddleback campus diamond on Sunday with a third game following, if necessary. All of the games can be seen live on the Gaucho Sports Network at the following link.
Gaucho Sports Network
4/27/10: Softball ready to face Palomar College starting Saturday
 The opening round of the Southern California Regional Softball Tournament is set to start on Saturday and the No. 6 Gauchos will take on No. 11 Palomar College in a best-of-3 series starting at 7:00 PM. Saddleback and Palomar have played twice this season, with the Gauchos winning both times.
Saddleback (31-9, 15-6) finished in second place in the Orange Empire Conference but was seeded below fourth place Fullerton College, who had a better RPI rating. Palomar (20-11, 12-3) finished in second place in the Pacific Coast Conference behind Grossmont College (27-7, 13-2), who ended up with the No. 8 seed in the regional. 
In looking ahead, if all of the top seeds were to advance to the second round, Saddleback would travel to No. 2 Cypress College (34-6, 18-3) for the Super Regional Tournament the following weekend.
Palomar has a number of offensive threats, including Danielle LeBeau and Theresa Houle. LeBeau led the Pacific Coast Conference in bating with a .506 average while Houle finished with 12 home runs on the season. The Comet pitching staff has two starters with nine wins on the  season, including Lebeau and Kristen Tenwolde, who finished 9-1 with a 1.91 ERA.
Saddleback enters regional play as the top power-hitting team in the state, hitting 62 home runs on the season. Starr White led the state with 16 home runs during the regular season and finished 7th in the conference with a .411 batting average. The Gauchos had five other players hit six or more home runs this season, including Stephanie Chotkevys, who finished with 11. Saddleback is led on the mound by Katie Doering, who led the Orange Empire Conference with 19 wins and a 1.35 ERA. Doering and White were joined by Sarah and Kelly Bosshart in being named to the all conference team this past week.
Saddleback and Palomar played twice during the season, with the Gauchos winning 10-8 on February 20 and again beating the Comets 4-2 on April 10.
Saddleback is four home runs away from tying the state record of 66 set by Cerritos College in 2009.
The Gauchos Sports Network will streaming all the games live during the weekend. Click here to sign up for the broadcasts. GSN LIVE
4/20/10: Softball looking for a top-5 seed
The Saddleback softball team has had a historic season in 2010 and on Friday night will find out where they are seeded for the upcoming Southern California regional play. The Gauchos are cemented in second place in the Orange Empire Conference and finish the regular season at first place Cypress College on Wednesday.
Saddleback currently has the No. 11 RPI in the state and is rated No. 9 in the state by the Coach’s Poll. The Gauchos currently have the No. 7 RPI rating among teams from the south, behind both Fullerton and Riverside, two teams that will finish behind them in conference play. A win over Cypress on Wednesday could give Saddleback the boost they need in the RPI ratings and potentially lift them all the way up to No. 4 in the complex ratings system.
Saddleback also sits on 61 home runs heading into the regular season finale, just five home runs off the state record of 66 hit by Cerritos College in 2009 and three behind Mt. San Antonio College’s total of 64 in 2007. The Gaucho’s Starr White leads the state with 16 home runs on the season while Stephanie Chotkevys is currently 8th in the state with 11 dingers.
Provided the Saddleback squad secures a top-8 seed for the playoffs, they will have a 2-of-3 series at home starting on May 1 at 7:00 PM. For those that cannot make it to the regional series, the Gauchos Sports Network is planning on carrying all the games live for a minimal fee.
4/19/10: Softball downs Santiago Canyon
 Saddleback center fielder Sara Sutton stroked a two-run double to right center field in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie and help lead Saddleback to a 4-1 victory over visiting Santiago Canyon College in an Orange Empire Conference game on Monday.
Runners were at the corners after Stephanie Chotkevys reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to third on Megan Geier's single. Sutton's drive to the fence in right center allowed Geier to race all the way home with the insurance run. Ashley Putkamer hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning for good measure as Saddleback improved to 31-8 on the season and 15-5 in conference play. Geier had two singles for Saddleback.
Saddleback will wrap up the regular season at Cypress on Wednesday before learning who its post-season opponent will be for the first round. It is expected that the Gauchos will get a home series in the first round scheduled for May 1-2.
4/17/10: Webster and White earn state recognition
 The California Community College Sports Information Association released its March athletes of the month and two Gauchos made the list of honorable mention. Basketball’s Perry Webster and softball’s Starr White were both recognized by the state on the COA site.
Webster finished his sophomore season on a high note when he led Saddleback to the state title last month, earning the Most-Valuable-Player Award in the State Tournament. In four playoff games during the month of March, Webster scored 56 points with 23 assists and 16 rebounds, culminating with a 19-point, seven assist game in the win over City College of San Francisco in the state championship.
White is in the process of rewriting the record books for the Saddleback softball team and had a stunning month when she hit .510 with 11 home runs. The previous school record for home runs in an entire season was six, and White now has 14 for the year, leading the Gauchos to a 29-8 overall record.
4/16/10: Softball stung by Hornets
Saddleback's softball team collected 11 hits, including three more home runs, but it ended up one run short of Fullerton College's Hornets in a 9-8 setback Friday on the Gauchos' home field.
Starr White hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to cut Saddleback's deficit to 6-2, then added a three run shot in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 8-6. The Gauchos gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning on a pair of doubles by the Hornets before answering with a two-run home run from Stephanie Chotkevys in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within one at 9-8. Sarah Bosshart followed with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error by Fullerton's catcher but was stranded there when the next two batters couldn't advance her.
White led off the bottom of the seventh inning, but grounded out to the pitcher and the Gauchos were retired in order to end the game. White now has 16 home runs on the season and the Gauchos have hit 60 as a team, closing in on the state record of 66 home runs.
Fullerton jumped out to a 6-1 lead, hitting two-run home runs in the first, second, and fifth innings. The Hornets picked up 13 hits and both teams committed three errors.
4/10/10: Gauchos use bombs to burn Comets
 The Saddleback softball team counted on "old reliable" - the home run ball - during a 4-2 non-conference triumph over visiting Palomar College on Saturday morning as the Gauchos put three more balls over the outfield fence.
Kaitlyn Friday (pictured) laced a two-out, two-run shot over the left field fence in the second inning to put the Gauchos on the scoreboard and it looked like that might be the only runs produced in the game as the Gauchos only sent three batters to the plate in the next three innings. Meanwhile, Saddleback pitcher Katie Doering was doing her best to keep the Comet batters guessing. After giving up a leadoff double to open the game, Doering scattered seven singles for the remainder of the game to pick up her 15th win in 18 decisions. She posted five strikeouts, didn't walk a batter and was aided by a nice unassisted double play from third baseman Starr White with runners at second and third with one out in the third inning. White laid out to catch a line drive on the third base line, then quickly reached out to tag the base before the base runner realized the ball had been caught.
Palomar was able to push across two runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game, stringing together three singles and taking advantage of Saddleback's only error on the day when a sharp single to center skipped under the glove of the center fielder and ended up at the fence. But the Gauchos would answer right away in the bottom of the inning. Although Chelsea Lievanos' fly ball was caught near the fence in left-center, Stephanie Chotkevys followed with a no-doubter over the wall in right-center field and then Sarah Bosshart roped a line drive over the fence in left field to put the Gauchos up again, 4-2.
Saddleback's three home runs today give the team a state-leading 57
for the season, 16 more than Cerritos (41) which is listed second in that category. Only three other teams have over 30 home runs this year.
4/2/10: Gaucho softball rewriting the record books
The Saddleback softball team had another ho-hum experience when they hit another five home runs in a 12-2 win over Riverside College on Wednesday afternoon. It has become old hat this season for the Gauchos as they have put an assault on the all time record books.
Sophomore third baseman Starr White has been a wrecking machine at the plate, and will likely rewrite the book by the end of the season. White now has 11 home runs for the year, nearly doubling the program record of six hit by Lauren Molina in 2008. Her .430 batting average is equal of the program record set by Wendy Clemens in 1992 while her 18 extra-base hits is closing in on the record 21 set by Lindsay Murray in 2006. White is one or two solid outings away from chasing the RBI record of 47 set by Molina in 2008, as she sits on 37 with eight games remaining in the regular season.
White isn’t the only one punishing the ball for the Gauchos, as the majority of Saddleback’s lineup has looked like the 1927 Yankees in 2010. The team has shattered the home run record of 27 in 2008, pounding 53 home runs for the year and they recently broke the record of 72 doubles for the season, now sitting on 78.
The 53 home runs by the Gauchos are believed to be the third highest total in state history, behind a Cerritos team that hit 66 last season and Mt. San Antonio hitting 64 in 2007. Although the record books at the state level are a bit dicey, Palomar College also had a big season with the long ball about five years ago, and at that time set the state record with about 40.
On the field, Saddleback now stands at 25-7 overall and 11-4 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Gauchos are still sitting in second place in conference play, two games behind first place Cypress College and one game ahead of third place Fullerton College.
Saddleback has the week off before traveling to Santa Ana College to take on the Lady Dons next Wednesday at 3:00 PM.
3/26/10: Women’s softball beats No. 3 Cypress
The Saddleback softball team scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings to rally from behind and beat No. 3 Cypress College, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon at Saddleback Field. The Gauchos bounced back from two losses in the past week to remain in second place in Orange empire Conference play.
Saddleback got off to a rough start on Thursday, as the first four Cypress batters reached base without a hit, scoring a run and loading the bases with no outs. Pitcher Katie Doering quickly silenced the critics, striking out one Charger batter before getting another to hit into a double-play and get out of a jam.
Saddleback would scrape across one run in the fourth inning to tie the score at 1-1 when Sara Sutton hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Ashley Putkamer. The Gauchos would score the go-ahead and winning run in the fifth when Kelly Bosshart doubled with two outs, scoring Putkamer from first base.
Doering was brilliant the entire day, allowing just two hits, both of which came in the fourth inning. She struck out two Cypress batters and recorded 15 ground ball outs on the afternoon.
The Saddleback win came on the heels of two disappointing losses as the Gauchos fell to Golden West 9-6 last Friday and to Fullerton 1-0 on Wednesday. Saddleback is now 21-6 on the season overall and 10-4 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Gauchos remained in second place behind Cypress, just one game in front of Fullerton.
Cypress fell to 22-2 overall and 13-1 in OEC play. It was the second loss in four games for a Cypress team that started the season 20-0. The Chargers are rated No. 3 in the state, behind No. 1 Sierra and No. 2 Cerritos. Saddleback is 2-2 versus the top three teams in the state on the season.
The Gauchos will travel to Santa Barbara on Friday for a three-day tournament.
3/19/10: Softball moves into top-10 in state rankings
The Saddleback softball team has had one of its most entertaining seasons in program history thus far and the voters in the state have taken notice. The Gauchos moved up to No. 7 in the state rankings this past week and stand at 20-4 for the year.
Saddleback has been hitting the daylights out of the ball, leading the state with 40 home runs on the season. The Gauchos have six players with five or more home runs on the season, with eight players having 15 or more RBI for the year.
Saddleback moved to No. 7 in the state rankings this week, up from No. 17 a week ago. The Gauchos are 20-4 overall, with all of their losses coming against teams ranked in the top-20. Saddleback has the No. 11 RPI rankings in the state, losing only to No. 1 Cerritos, No. 2 Cypress, No. 6 Sacramento City and No. 15 Riverside. During that time, the Gauchos have beaten a number of top-25 teams, including No. 3 Sierra, No. 14 Fullerton, No. 15 Riverside, No. 19 Santa Ana (twice) and No. 24 Palomar.
Saddleback will take to the field again today (Friday) when they travel to Golden West to take on the Rustlers at 2:00 PM. The Gauchos are 9-2 in Orange Empire Conference play and trying to keep pace with Cypress, who is 20-1 overall and 11-0 in conference play. Saddleback is in second place in the OEC and two games in front of both Fullerton College and Riverside College.
3/11/10: Latest win keeps softball in the OEC hunt
The Saddleback women’s softball team remained in second place in the Orange Empire Conference after a slim 1-0 win over Santiago Canyon College on Wednesday afternoon. The Gauchos are giving chase to top-ranked and undefeated Cypress College and will face Santa Ana on Friday at home.
Saddleback survived a bit of a scare on Wednesday when it scraped across one run in the sixth inning against Santiago Canyon, a fourth-year program that currently sits in 7th place in the OEC. The Gauchos received a solid pitching performance from Katie Doering, who kept Saddleback in the game until the bats heated up in the later innings.
Santiago Canyon only threatened in one inning but came up empty in the third when they had their only two hits of the game, as Doering silenced the Hawks for most of the afternoon. Doering only had two strikeouts, but had command all afternoon, surrendering just one walk.
Saddleback finally broke through in the sixth inning when Kelly Bosshart singled in twin sister Sarah Bosshart, who had earlier doubled off the wall. For Bosshart (Kelly), it was one of two hits on the afternoon as the Gauchos had eight hits on the day, with five coming in the last three innings.
The win kept Saddleback within an arms distance from Cypress, who remains undefeated on the season at 18-0 and 9-0 in OEC play. The Gauchos are now 18-4 on the season and 7-2 in conference play, a game ahead of Fullerton College in the standings.
Saddleback will host Santa Ana College (8-9-1, 3-5) on Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM.
3/8/10:
Gaucho softball sets power records in the valley
 The Saddleback softball team left town for the Central Valley on Friday licking its wounds after suffering back-to-back losses in Orange Empire Conference play last week. The Gauchos came home in a different mood on Sunday evening after punishing the competition for 19 home runs, winning four of five games and setting the all time school record for long balls.
Saddleback left for the Fresno City College Tournament with 17 home runs for the season, nearing the all time school record of 27 home runs set in 2008. The Gauchos finished the weekend with 36 home runs on the season, pounding the competition for 19 home runs in five games, led by sophomore Starr White. 
White finished with four bombs over the weekend, hitting home runs on three consecutive at-bats against Allan Hancock College on Sunday morning. Six other Gauchos would connect on round-trippers over the weekend, with Sarah Bosshart, Kelly Bosshart, Sara Sutton and Stephanie Chotkevys all hitting three apiece. Ashley Putkamer hit two home runs while Blyth Ashby connected on one, as Saddleback scored 33 runs in 27 innings of play.
"In all my seasons at Saddleback, I have never seen anything like it," Head Coach Nick Trani said. "Any player in the lineup is capable of going deep."
Kelly Bosshart set the individual season home run record (for the time being) as she finished the weekend with seven home runs on the season, breaking the single-season record of six hit by Lauren Molina and Blyth Ashby in 2008. White and Chotkevys both have six home runs for the season while Putkamer and Sutton both have five, setting up quite a race for the record books down the stretch drive of the season.
On the field, Saddleback hammered the competition for the majority of the weekend, playing two of the elite teams from Northern California. The Gauchos blasted Victor Valley 15-2 in the opener on Saturday before dropping its only game of the weekend in a slugfest against Sacramento City College, 12-10. In the game against Sac City, Saddleback hit five home runs but fell behind 12-5 by giving up 11 runs in one inning. They would make a ferocious comeback on the Panthers by scoring five runs in the final inning, but would leave the bases loaded to finish the game.
Saddleback made quick work of Chabot College on Sunday morning, beating the Gladiators 8-1 in five innings to improve to 2-1 in the tournament. It was just the beginnings of what would be a big day for the Gauchos as they then thwarted Allan Hancock College, 17-0. Saddleback hit six home runs during the game with pitchers Jesika Johnson and Jessica Mattes combining on a no-hitter. Perhaps the biggest thrill of the day, however, came during the afternoon when the Gauchos upended the top-rated team in the state, Sierra College, 3-2. Saddleback outhit the Wolverines 6-3 in the contest, beating much-heralded pitcher Sam Baker in the process. Baker entered the game 8-1 on the season with seven shutouts and an ERA around 0.30. Katie Doering pitched for the Gauchos, surrendering just two hits and two walks over seven innings.
Saddleback finished the weekend at 17-4 on the season. They now have the No. 8 RPI rating in the state following the big weekend up north. All four of their losses on the season have come against programs rated in the top-10 in the state (according to RPI).
3/01/10: Gauchos mauled by Tigers
  It looked like it was going to be a bad afternoon for Riverside's softball team when one of its players was injured in pregame warm-ups. But it turned out to be a fairly good afternoon as the Tigers (5-7, 4-3) held off a late rally by the Gauchos (13-2, 6-1) and posted a 6-2 victory, handing Saddleback its first conference loss of the year.
The Gauchos gave up five runs in the fourth inning on a pair of singles, three walks, and an error and found themselves in a 5-0 hole with time running out. Riverside pitcher Reylene Cornado (left) carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Starr White's two-out single ended that run. White (pictured) ended up with two hits for the Gauchos.
Saddleback pitcher Jesika Johnson (7-1) got out of a bases-loaded jam in both the second and third innings, but wasn't as fortunate in the fourth.
It was Johnson's first loss of the year.
Patti Masner had three hits and two RBI for the Tigers while Cornado (1-3) picked up her first victory of the season.
2/26/10: Softball defeats Fullerton in conference game
 Saddleback improved to 13-1 on the season and a stellar 6-0 in Orange Empire Conference games with a dramatic 2-1 victory over visiting Fullerton (9-5, 3-3) on Friday afternoon.
Fullerton scored in the top of the third inning when Jackie Taylor lined a pitch over the left field fence for a home run. But Saddleback answered that run in the bottom half of the fourth inning as Sarah Bosshart singled to right field to lead off the inning and advanced to third base on a single to center field by Stephanie Chotkevys. Kaitlyn Friday's two-out single to center field scored Bosshart with the tying run.
The Gauchos pushed across the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning as Kelly Bosshart stroked a two-out double to left-center field and Chotkevys (pictured) followed with a double to center.
Saddleback's defensive play saved the game for pitcher Jesika Johnson (6-0). Right fielder Ashley Putkamer threw out Fullerton batters at first base to end the second and third innings on what initially appeared to be solid singles to right field with a runner on third base each time. Fullerton had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth inning before Saddleback turned a double-play to get out of the inning unscathed.
2/24/10: Gauchos remain perfect in conference play
 Saddleback remained undefeated in Orange Empire Conference play following a 4-1 victory over Golden West on Wednesday night, thanks in large part to the bat of outfielder Kaitlyn Friday.
Friday (left) put Saddleback on the scoreboard in the second inning as she hit a triple down the right field line with two outs and scored two batters later on a single by Megan Boardman. The Gauchos added two more runs in the third inning as Sara Sutton reached on an error and Stephanie Chotkevys was safe on a fielder's choice when her infield ground ball was thrown too late to second base to try to get Sutton out. Blyth Ashby singled through the right side to score one run with Chotkevys advancing all the way to third. Friday's sacrafice fly to center field easily scored Chotkevys to give Saddleback a 3-0 lead.
Kate Doering pitched a complete game for the Gauchos, scattering five Rustler hits and striking out two batters as Saddleback improved to 12-1 overall and 5-0 in conference games.
2/16/10: Softball blanks Pirates on Putkamer's bomb
 At 5'3", freshman outfielder Ashley Putkamer might appear small. But on Tuesday she was wielding a big stick
as her solo home run in the fifth inning was enough to give Saddleback a 1-0 victory over visiting Orange Coast College in an Orange Empire Conference showdown.
OCC pitcher Ashley Cardenas did a good job of keeping the usually-potent Saddleback bats silent for most of the game. The Gauchos only collected five hits, about one-half of their usual offensive power. But Putkamer's shot to left field in the fifth inning was a no-doubter as soon as it left her bat.
Megan Boardman, in her first pitching appearance of the season, came on in relief in the second inning and completed the game to earn the victory. She allowed just one hit, struck out two, and walked four of the 21 batters she faced.
Saddleback improves to 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. Orange Coast falls to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in conference.
2/13/10: Saddleback softball beats Bakersfield
 Saddleback posted another shortened, non-conference victory on Saturday, defeating Bakersfield 11-3 in five innings to improve to 6-0 on the season. It was the fifth game stopped after five innings due to the 8-run mercy rule for the Gauchos this season.
The Gauchos scored in each of the five innings, posting three in the first inning on two errors, two walks, and a two-run single by Sara Sutton. Saddleback added two more in the second inning on a two-run home run by shortstop Kelly Bosshart to help Saddleback to a 5-0 lead. Bakersfield scored all three of its runs in the top of the third inning on a single, three walks, a hit batsman, a Gaucho throwing error, and two mental errors, but Saddleback was able to stop the rally with the bases loaded to retain the lead.
Saddleback got all three runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run double by Blyth Ashby. Megan Geier singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Ashley Putkamer. The Gauchos added a run in the fourth after Sutton doubled with one out and was forced in by three consecutive walks.
Saddleback pushed the final two runs across the plate with two outs in the fifth inning as Starr White roped a double to the fence in right field to score the Bosshart twins and reach the needed 8-run lead to stop the game.
Both Bosshart's (Kelly and Sarah) scored three runs for the Gauchos. Kelly had two RBI on the afternoon, as did Sutton, White, and Ashby. Pitcher Jesika Johnson (pictured) recorded the victory on the mound.
2/10/10: Gaucho softball live on GSN this Saturday
 The Saddleback Gauchos versus Bakersfield Renegades softball game on Saturday, February 13, will be broadcast live on the Gaucho Sports Network starting at 12:55 PM. The Gauchos are off to a fast start on the season and are rated No. 8 in the state, looking to continue their roll against one of the top programs from the Western States Conference.
The first pitch of the game is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the pregame will start around 12:55 live on GSN via streaming video on your computer. Saddleback and Bakersfield is likely one of the top games in the state this weekend with the Gauchos coming in at 5-0 on the season and the Renegades at 0-1, with the lone loss coming against No. 18 Fresno City College (8-6).
Saddleback recently moved up from No. 16 in the state to No. 8 after four decisive wins to start the season. The Gauchos have outscored the four opponents 65-9 on the season, but expect a big test on Saturday from the always tough Renegades.
“Bakersfield always has one of the top teams in the state,” Saddleback head coach Nick Trani said. “Coach Taylor is as good as they come and she will have them prepared and ready to play.”
2/08/10: Gauchos can't get past fifth inning in another win
 It was another ho-hum victory for the Gauchos on Monday afternoon, a 9-1 win over Mt. San Jacinto College which was called short with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning due to the 8-run rule. It was the fourth time that the Gauchos (4-0) have ended their game early due to the 8-run rule.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Friday smacked another pair of home runs, lofting a 2-run shot over the right field fence in the second inning and adding a leadoff homerun to left in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sara Sutton (left) also showed her power, blasting a leadoff home run to deep center field in the bottom half of the third inning.
The Gauchos scored three times in the second inning as Ashley Putkamer singled following Friday's home run. Putkamer stole second base and then scored easily on Sarah Bosshart's triple over the right fielder. Saddleback added two in the third and two in the fourth to build an 8-1 lead. After Sutton's homer in the third, Starr White doubled and came in to score on a pair of groundouts.
Saddleback was able to get the necessary 8-run cushion when Megan Geier walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches, then scored the game-ending run on a single through the left side of a pulled-in infield by Blyth Ashby.
1/28/10: Gauchos hammer COD in softball opener
 The Saddleback softball team was in a record-setting mood to open the season on Wednesday evening with a 32-5 win over College of the Desert. The Gauchos scored 20 runs in the first inning, as sophomore Kaitlyn Friday hammered a grand slam in the opening frame to lead the charge.
Friday was one of three Saddleback players to have home runs in the first inning and one of four to go deep on the evening. Freshman Ashley Putkamer led off the game with a home run over the right field fence and sophomore Sara Sutton also went deep later in the inning. Sophomore Starr White also homered in the game as the Gauchos scored a record 32 runs on the night in a game that was called after 4.5 innings due to the 8-run rule.
Friday finished the night 3-for-3 with the home run and six RBI. Putkamer finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored, scoring three times in a first inning that took the Gauchos 55 minutes to complete their at-bats.
Saddleback will play at home again on Friday night when they host Los Angeles Valley College at 5:00 PM.
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