After falling to the top of the first inning down 3-0, Mt SAC Softball rallied and won 7-6 against San Diego Mesa, riding off the back of a four run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning. The rally came off of a pair of 2-RBI doubles from Desiree Morales (4) and Amanda Porterfield (5).
The starting pitcher for SAC was freshman pitcher Zoe Herford (6), who was subbed out for Karissa Blanco (18), who gave up three runs through six innings. This kept a defensive edge that allowed for SAC to make a comeback in the game.
Blanco (18) emphasized that the trust in her team allowed for her to stay steady minded while on the mound.
“I want to lock in for the team, and also I know that I have their back when we’re down, and they also got my back.” Blanco (18) said.
Blanco (18) pitched against the San Diego Mesa on March 27, 2026, when Mt. SAC lost 6-2. She said the outcome of the game influenced her decision-making.
“I pitched a good game against them,” Blanco (18) said. “This game I just came in a little more aggressive, not doing the same thing but a little bit more. I knew how their swing looked, so I kept the ball low and did my job.”
After going down 3-0 in that first inning, SAC scored steadily through the fourth inning, bringing the game to 5-3 in favor of San Diego headed into the bottom of the sixth inning.
It was in that sixth inning when SAC hosted a 4 run rally after multiple errors from the San Diego defense, with doubles to right field and center left by Porterfield (5) and Morales (4) respectively.
Porterfield (5) also made a defensive play in foul territory, sliding for a catch well beyond the foul line.
She explained that the team and her were motivated to win due to playoffs coming up and the belief in each other being able to win.
“These last two games are very important for our ranking, and also just having momentum going into playoffs,” Porterfield (5) said. “Going down 3-0 in that first inning didn’t affect us too much because we had that belief in each other we would come back.”
Morales (4) had the second double of the inning, bringing in two more runs from Porterfield (5) and Angelina Martinez (15), making the game 7-5 on a clutch two-out hit.
Morales (4) explained how the team supports each other in those crucial situations.
“I was obviously nervous, but I was also calm and I was looking for something fast in the zone to get those runners in,” Morales (4) said. “I think the belief in my teammates, and them yelling and cheering for me also made me feel very motivated and confident in my at-bat.”
Morales (4) also highlighted that past losses against a specific team don’t matter to Mt. SAC.
“We don’t take the past games into the present ones,” she said. “I think we’re very confident and very committed to playing game by game. So I think we’ll be great going into the next couple games.”
Mt. SAC’s next opponent, Antelope Valley College, handed the SAC Softball Team their first loss of the season. Standing at 28-11, Mt. SAC will be looking to continue this momentum on Thursday at home against Antelope Valley and into the playoffs.
