ATHERTON, CA
On a beautiful Friday afternoon at Wunderlich Field, the Oaks swept a doubleheader against the conference-rival Hawks. Their overall record is now 6-14, with a 4-2 mark in GSAC play,
Game 1: Menlo 2 - 1 San Diego Christian College (8 Innings)
The first game of the day was a closely-fought affair that took an extra inning to decide. After going down 1-0 in the top of the 1st, the Oaks scored in the bottom of the 2nd and 8th innings to ultimately claim the 2-1 victory.
Menlo's hero was middle infielder Emma Medina, who spent time at both shortstop and second base in the game. Medina's RBI single in the bottom of the 2nd, which scored Grace Christian, leveled the score at 1-1. It would remain 1-1 until the final play of the game, when another Medina single again scored Christian, this time a walk-off run in the bottom of the 8th. Medina's 6 RBIs so far this season are tied for the second-most of any Oak.
On the mound, Menlo's starter, Brianna Gonzalez, was excellent. Across 7.0 innings of work, she allowed just 1 run and no walks, while striking out 3 batters. Her ERA, of 1.60, is the third-best of any pitcher in the GSAC.
Game 2: Menlo 4 - 3 San Diego Christian College
The second game of the day saw more offensive sparks than the first, with Menlo again needing to keep their heads down and fight back from a deficit. After going down 2-0 in the top of the 3rd, the Oaks scored 2 runs in each of the bottoms of the 5th and 6th innings to take a lead they would not relinquish.
First baseman Grace Christian lit the fuse with an RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th that scored Bella Cortez. Christian herself would come across home plate when Alexandra Attard hit a sacrifice fly to center field soon after.
Heads-up baserunning put Menlo in the lead in the bottom of the 6th. Bella Cortez put the Hawks' catcher under pressure by stealing second base when Emma Medina was on third. The throw to second base sailed into the outfield, allowing both runners to cross the plate.Â
Up Next
The Oaks will travel to Southern California next week to play doubleheaders against Hope International, on March 24th, and Vanguard, on March 25th.
