One streak ended, but another more important one continued, for the Bakersfield College softball team on Thursday. BC pitcher Kylee Fahy allowed the first run to be scored against her in 52 innings. However, the Renegades extended their winning streak to eight games with a 5-1 victory over Allan Hancock College at the Dean and Adah Gay Sports Complex. BC now needs one win in its final two Western State-North Conference games to clinch its first league title since 2012.
"I'm proud of them," BC coach Casey Goodman said. "They came out and they played hard. We got clutch hits, which is something we struggled with the last time we played them…I think the biggest thing that set us apart today was we put pressure on their defense and made them make plays. We were tough outs today."
Fahy, the state leader in wins (26), strike outs (234), and complete games (24) was dominating in the circle from start to finish. The freshman from Liberty High School allowed just one hit, a seventh inning double, while recording 10 strikeouts. The only run scored against Fahy was unearned. Fahy also used her bat to help the Renegades (29-6, 11-1 WSC) avenge their only conference loss of the season. In the second inning she hammered a triple into the right field corner that gave BC a 1-0 lead. The Renegades added a second run later in the frame.
The Bulldogs (17-12-1, 8-3 WSC) cut into the Renegades' 2-0 advantage with a run in fourth on a BC fielding error. But the Renegades responded quickly by plating two runs in the bottom of the inning and then in the sixth inning added an insurance run when Aryka Chavez followed Jordynn Jimenez's leadoff triple with a double.
BC finished with eight hits, including three by Chavez 3-4 with two RBI and two by Monica Alvarez 2-3 with an RBI.
The Renegades close out the regular season with five straight games on the road, starting with a double-header against San Mateo and Ohlone in San Mateo on Saturday. San Mateo is currently ranked No. 1 in the state. Ohlone is No. 5 in the latest 3CFCA NorCal Rankings.