ROHNERT PARK — Santa Rosa Junior College put Mendocino’s bats in the deep freeze Friday during a non-conference softball doubleheader at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park.
Santa Rosa won both games in five innings — 15-0 in the opener and 8-0 in game two — to improve to 10-7 on the season, including a 4-0 mark against the Eagles, who they also swept in a doubleheader May 4 in Ukiah by final scores of 12-0 and 16-4 (both in five innings).
“If you can’t figure out a way to score some runs, it makes it pretty tough for you,” Mendocino College head coach Doug Wingler said. “Against the better teams we need to put some runs on the board.”
Coming of a pair of doubleheader sweeps last week against Yuba College of Marysville, four games during which the Eagles (7-7) racked up double-digit hit totals, they managed a grand total of six hits against the Bearcubs — three in each game.
Not having leadoff hitter Sara Ogden in the lineup either game — she was away on an excused absence — certainly didn’t help.
“She sets the tone for our our offense,” Wingler said.
And against a strong team like Santa Rosa, Mendocino needs to be at full strength to have any kind of a chance, according to Wingler.
“They’re a good team whether it’s pitching, hitting or defense,” he said.
Shaelyn McIntire, Mendocino’s starting pitcher in game one, was pulled after walking the only two batters she faced.
“She felt some discomfort in her throwing arm and we just went ahead and pulled her,” Wingler said.
Erika Olson relieved and was knocked around during a nine-run Bearcubs first inning.
Mendocino’s offense scratched out three hits, singles by Olson, Irelyn Schmid and Alisha McKnight.
Second game.
Losing pitcher Shelby Sapeta allowed only three hits in the second game, but she also walked five batters as the Bearcubs again struck early, getting two runs in the first and four more in the second for a 6-0 lead.
“Shelby actually pitched real well, but there were two flyballs (not caught) that cost us about five runs,” Wingler said.
Even had Sapeta, the former Lower Lake High School star, tossed a shutout of her own, Wingler said the Eagles still would have needed to score at least one run, which they didn’t do.
“You can only be so competitive if you don’t score,” he said.
Sapeta struck out three in working all four innings.
Olson, Kennedy Lynch and Ashley Bond had Mendocino’s only hits.
Schedule
Mendocino hits the road Tuesday to play Bay Valley Conference opponent Solano in a doubleheader with starting times of noon and 2 p.m. The two teams split a doubleheader earlier this season at Ukiah.
“That’s a team we need to build ourselves to compete with,” Wingler said of Solano, which has dominated the Bay Valley Conference for more than a decade.
The Eagles wrap up their season the following Tuesday at Butte in a non-conference doubleheader with starting times of noon and 2 p.m.
