Softball
San Marcos split a pair of non-league games on Saturday, being Santa Clara, 18-1, and losing to Santa Paula, 5-1.
In the first game, the Royals erupted for eight runs in the first inning on eight hits, highlighted with triples by Caitlyn Early and Gigi Gritt and a double by Kamilah Morales.
Morales hit a leadoff triple in the second on the way to scoring seven more runs.
In the fifth, Kate Guerra had a RBI double and Charlotte Hastings followed with a two-run homer, her first homer of the season.
Guerra, Gracie Verdugo and Vienna Mochi combined for a two-hitter in a mercy rule- shortened game.
In the second game, Emma Foster scored the Royals’ only run on a single by Kamilah Morales in the first inning.
For the day, Hastings went 4 for 5 with homer, double and three RBIs. Tiana Monaghan was 4-7 and Morales 3-5 with two RBIs, a triple and a double.
San Marcos is 12-13-1 overall and 6-6 in the Channel League. The Royals are tied with Buena for fourth place, and they play the Bulldogs twice this week to determine an automatic playoff berth. The first game is Monday at Buena and the second game is Wednesday at San Marcos.