The American River softball team was defeated at home by Diablo Valley College, 2-1 on March 3.

The game started out slow, with Diablo Valley and ARC only getting one hit each in the first inning.

In the second inning, ARC committed an error that allowed Diablo Valley College to score. An error by ARC pitcher Cassie Ralston allowed Diablo Valley first baseman Liliana Campos to score. Diablo Valley shortstop Kama Kaleikini also advanced to third, after a wild pitch from ARC pitcher Cassie Ralston.

Not much happened in the third and fourth innings, with ARC and Diablo Valley only getting one hit each. 

The one-hit ARC scored came from catcher Sam Anderson, who had two hits in the game, and has been hitting well all season, as she leads the team in doubles and home runs. 

“My approach is to attack the first pitch because last year I really struggled with doing that,” Anderson said. “If you attack the first couple of pitches, you are more likely to get the pitch you want, rather than with two strikes, when you have to hit anywhere in the strike zone.”

Things started to pick up in the fifth inning with both teams getting multiple hits.

In the top of the fifth, Diablo Valley got two hits, with one fielder’s choice. Diablo Valley left two runners on base, and couldn’t extend their lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth, ARC got three hits but also left two runners on base. 

In the sixth inning, ARC got two more hits, which led to a runner scoring. Anderson hit a double with one out, and second baseman Kenzi Palmer also hit a clutch two-out double, which allowed Anderson to score and tie the game 1-1. 

Anderson said in her previous two at-bats she got jammed and knew she had to be ready for another inside pitch. 

“It was an inside pitch, and I was on time and got the barrel to the ball,” Anderson said. 

In the seventh inning, Diablo Valley scored again on a passed ball by ARC, which after three quick outs by ARC in the bottom of the seventh, led them to the win. 

ARC’s head coach, Lisa Delgado, wasn’t pleased with the performance.

“It was a frustrating game because the two runs that they scored were the two errors that we had,” Delgado said. “We just weren’t making adjustments to the slower pitching and we had so many pop-ups.”