Banning Softball Wins First League Game

Banning High got a much needed win on Thursday.

The Broncos had lost three straight games and were winless in Mountain Pass League play.

So they had to make the best of their home game against Jurupa Hills on Thursday.

The Broncos registered a near perfect game, winning 13-0, in cold and windy conditions at Lions Park.

“If we didn’t get this one I would have been worried about getting the girls out of it,” Banning coach Maso Lara said. “It was perfect timing for us. We had three losses. This was a perfect game for us.”

The team was upbeat and focused from start to finish.

“We really put the foot on the gas and just were real focused,” Coach Lara said. “It was our first game without any errors and it was our first (league) win.”

Five players had multiple hits for Banning (5-6, 1-3). In all the Broncos produced 14 hits, stole six bases and played error free for five innings.

“We had fun out there today,” Banning pitcher Laura Becerra said. “When we have fun, we can do good. When we think too much about it, we don’t do good.”

Banning scored six runs in the opening inning – Rita Cantano tripled and later scored on a passed ball; Andrea Villegas singled and later scored on an error; Jo Anne Llamas singled and eventually scored on a RBI double by Taylor Ochoa, who scored on a RBI double by Jesicah Lara. And Mejauni Rosales reached base on an infielder’s choice and scored on a RBI single by Hannah Batts.

The Broncos, however, ran away with it in the second inning. Banning scored four runs – three of them on home runs by Catano, Becerra and Llamas.

“That first home run, it was 3 and 0 and she wasn’t even supposed to swing,” Coach Lara said. “The second was a nice shot. And the third was by our third baseman, who came in from our DH spot. She is starting to hit. So it’s exciting.”

In between the first two home runs was a triple by Villegas.

“We had faced some tough pitchers and we had been working on being aggressive in batting practice,” Coach Lara said. “It was just a matter of being aggressive. It finally paid off for us.”

Becerra had a solid day on the mound. She held Jurupa Hills to four hits and struck out six batters.

“I thought I did okay,” said Becerra, who credited her off speed and screwball pitches for doing the most damage. “I could do better.”

Banning hosts Rubidoux next Tuesday.

“We didn’t have any errors, so that was good,” Villegas said. “Everything got better today. Nothing was wrong.”