Santa Rosa rallies to top Dora softball

DORA — The Dora Coyotes softball team just learned the hard way that no lead is ever safe, as the Santa Rosa Lady Lions scored six in the final two innings for an 11-10 comeback win Friday.

After a seven-run third inning, Dora (2-8) built a 9-5 lead that would stay the same until the sixth inning. Lions coach Sharla Trujillo substituted Kylee Harrison in for starting pitcher Christina Rodarte. Harrison led off the top of the inning with a double and started the rally.

Santa Rosa (12-9) cut the lead to just one after getting its second out when sophomore Dannica Saiz drove in two runs with a two-RBI double to give Santa Rosa the lead and Saiz would score after Jankie Patel drove her in with an RBI double of her own.

“Our girls were able to pick up on Kylee’s momentum,” Trujillo said. “(Harrison) did a great job in the end of the game.”

Dora (2-8) battled back and tied the game up at 10 in the bottom of the inning after senior Jacey Banther beat out a throw to first base which scored freshman Dixie Skelley. The problem for Dora was after spending the first five innings facing Rodarte fast pitches, they had trouble adjusting to Harrison’s slow delivery and couldn’t do anything else in the game.

“It’s always tougher to catch up to that slower pitcher at the end of the game because your kids are used to hitting and they don’t have the patience to stand in the box and wait for the pitch,” Dora coach Paul Luscombe said. “It’s basically like an off-speed pitch in baseball and to do it in the last innings, it’s tough to adjust.”

The winning run for Santa Rosa was again the responsibility of Harrison. After getting a single, she was driven in three batters later to give the Lions their 11-10 lead.

It was a rough way for Dora to lose because of the early offense to start off the game. While not a moral victory, the game did show the improvement of the Lady Coyotes as Santa Rosa was also their opponent in the first game of the season, with the Lions coming away the victor in a 10-5 game.

“As the year’s gone, they’ve gotten better,” Luscombe said of his team. “I can’t say I couldn’t be more pleased because we could have won, but to be in the position we were in at that time, we’re OK.”

Dora will finish up its season this Monday with one more home game against Eunice with a 4 p.m. start.