COD (2-8) wrapped up their final home non-Conference match as they hosted the Santa Ana Dons (7-6) falling in six innings, 11-3.

Santa Ana opened up the scoring in the top of the first with a run in on a sacrifice fly to center field to give the Dons a 1-0 lead. The Dons would add two more in the second inning and a run in the third to give Santa Ana a 4-0 lead.

Desert would respond in the bottom of the third when sophomore catcher Darbie Catalfamo (Indio Shadow Hills) led off the inning with a walk, followed by sophomore left fielder Yizel Nunez (Beaumont H.S.) who reached on a hit by pitch, an action that ended the day for the Dons starting pitcher.  Freshman designated player Keana Tolentino (Cathedral City H.S.) hit a sacrifice bunt to move the runners and sophomore left handed starting pitcher Amanda Martinez (Indio H.S.) punished a double to left scoring Catalfamo, getting Desert to within three, 4-1.

After Martinez sat down the Dons in order at the top of the fourth, Desert went back to work as sophomore center fielder Malissa Nielsen (Palm Desert H.S.) led off the inning with a double to left and sophomore second baseman Angelika Cabanyog (Indio Shadow Hills) hit a bunt sacrifice to move the runner to third base. Sophomore short stop Taylor Stone (Palm Desert H.S.) was hit by a pitch and then stole second, on the pickoff attempt Nielsen headed home a slid underneath the tag to grab another run for the Roadrunners.

Nielsen led the way for the Roadrunners going 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored on the afternoon.

Unfortunately, the Dons would put up four runs in the top of the fifth and three more runs in the top half of the sixth, to give them an 11-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. 

The Roadrunners would not go quietly as they pushed across one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Nielsen scored on a Stone single to center.

Photo by Britney Vargas (COD Sports Information)
Information, Photos & Story provided by COD Sports Information.