Fast Start Powers San Marcos Softball to 15-0 Rout of Santa Barbara High
by Diego Sandoval, Noozhawk Sports Editor
April 12, 2024
San Marcos’ Kamilah Morales ropes one of her two doubles on the day. Morales reached base four times for the Royals in the win. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk Photo)
San Marcos softball dominated from start to finish in a crosstown matchup against Santa Barbara High, pulling out a 15-0 mercy-rule win on Friday.
The win keeps the Royals (12-5, 7-3 Channel League) in fourth place in league, which would give them an automatic playoff bid should they end the season there. Meanwhile, the Dons are now 5-10 overall and have yet to pick up a league win.
“Our goal this whole season has been playoffs, and knowing that we’re right there, we’re feeling good about it,” San Marcos coach Emily Dietz said. “I feel like we haven’t played our best softball yet… Now is the time more than ever to start peaking.”
The Royals started fast after their starter, Kate Guerra, tossed a scoreless top of the first.
In the bottom half, Emma Foster led off with a walk and Kamilah Morales drove her home with a double for the game’s first run.
That sparked the rally, as San Marcos batted around and plated five runs in the inning.
The biggest swing of the five-run outburst came on a bases-clearing double by Caitlyn Early to score three. Early, a Notre Dame commit, has missed most of league play with a sprained ankle.
San Marcos’ Caitlyn Early squares up a first-inning double in Friday’s victory. Early went 2-for-2 in her two at-bats. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk Photo)
“She’s still not 100% but having that power in the lineup really does a lot,” Dietz said. “She’s such a leader in everything she does, her approach to things and her knowledge of the game.
“It’s nice, she’s almost like an extra coach in the dugout when she’s not playing but obviously to have her able to make some things happen for us offensively is a huge plus. We’re going to need her as this season goes on.”
After another scoreless frame from Guerra, the San Marcos offense batted around once again in the second, piling on six more runs.
In that big inning, Isabella Malarkey, Kayla Aguilar and Gianna Mandarino all tallied RBI singles. Meanwhile, Solana Sandoval and Emma Foster also drove in runs to bring the score to 11-0.
“We realized that our approach on Tuesday was a little bit more subdued, and they knew going into today that [Santa Barbara] had particular pitches and locations they were looking for,” Dietz said of her team’s fast start.
Lucy Dessert tossed two scoreless innings in relief for the Royals, striking out two batters. (Gary Kim / Noozhawk Photo)
“They really stuck to that and were able to get some good cuts on the ball.”
Lucy Dessert then took over the pitching duties for San Marcos and tossed two scoreless innings before handing the ball to Caroline Wang to complete the shutout in the fifth inning.
The Royals tacked on one more run in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout by Malarkey to extend the lead to 12-0.
The scoring came to a close in the fourth after a bases-loaded error, walk and RBI single off the bat of Emelia Morales brought the score to 15-0 and sent the game into the fifth, where Wang closed it out.
Kamilah Morales reached base four times while Aguilar tallied three hits in the victory.
For the Dons, Laila Hernandez collected a pair of singles and a stolen base.
San Marcos will now turn their attention to a two-game set against Buena next week while Santa Barbara High will have three games, beginning with a road matchup against Pacifica on Tuesday.
“Every game in league is a must-win, especially these last two weeks with Buena and Rio Mesa,” Dietz said. “They are strong teams with a lot of history and success within those programs… We know that we have to play competitively and be disciplined.”