Bobcats have fun in the sand

The Saddleback softball team opened a tournament at College of the Desert with an 8-3 win against the host team on Friday night in Palm Desert.  The Bobcats had a big night from Ehva Cifuentes-Zombulovic, who has been red hot over the past week. 

Saddleback started quickly and never trailed.  The Bobcats scored three runs in the top half of the first inning as Cifuentes-Zombulovic doubled home both Kianna Gutierrez and Anne Thibert.  Katie Schmidt followed with an RBI single and the Bobcats had a lead they would never relinquish. 

Saddleback added a solo run in the fourth inning and two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings in opening up an 8-3 lead in the final stages of the game.  Cifuentes-Zombulovic had a home run to left field in the fifth inning to increase the Saddleback lead to 5-1 at the time.  It was a team-leading third home run of the season for Cifuentes-Zombulovic, who has now homered in three straight games.  She would finish 3-for-4 with four RBI and is now 6-for-11 with three home runs and nine RBI over the past three games. 

Saddleback had its biggest offense outburst of the season, wrapping out 16 hits in the game.  Joining Cifuentes-Zombulovic with three hits in the game was Katie Schmidt, while Gutierrez, Thibert and Desiree McGruder all had two hits apiece. 

Saddleback started Schmidt on the mound and the Riverside (ML King HS) product pitched through the fifth inning before giving way to McGruder for the final two innings.  Schmidt struck out three while giving up two earned-runs in evening her record at 4-4 for the year.

Saddleback will play again in the President's Desert Classic on Saturday when it faces Ventura College.  The first pitch is scheduled for 10:00 AM.