HAYWARD -- Following a heartbreaking loss to the College of San Mateo, No. 2 West Valley softball used goldfish-like memory in a decimation of the Chabot College Gladiators. The Vikings (20-1, 2-1 Coast) used a seven-run fourth inning and five strong innings from a pair of pitchers to jump back over .500 in the early conference season.

While the two teams were scoreless after an inning, it was clear that West Valley's strong pitching staff overpowered the Chabot offense. The Glads' (1-18, 0-3 Coast) top three batters all struck out swinging against Viking starter Bri Padilla. Padilla, one of the top left-handed pitchers that the Vikings have had in recent memory, appeared in the circle for the first time since throwing eight innings in a victory against Delta about a month ago.

West Valley drew first blood in the top of the second. Red-hot Destiny Solis knocked a base hit and moved to third on some spotty Chabot defense, and the Vikings took advantage. Aneesa Aguon followed with a groundout to drive Solis home. Now with two outs, Lexi Bojorquez-Nava and Ella Moser traded doubles to double West Valley's lead. An error and a passed ball set the table for Chabot to score its only run of the game, and one of the unearned variety, in the bottom of the second. But with runners on the corners and just one out, Solis nabbed Adri Monroe trying to take second base for a big second out.

From there, it was smooth sailing for the Vikings. Raylene Cruz's double set the stage for Solis, reaching on an error, to give the Vikings some cushion in the third. In the fourth inning, the Vikings had arguably their most dominant of the season. With two outs and only one on, shortstop Izzy Paskert singled to drive home a run. After she stole second, Mo Temple drove her home with a single. Cruz followed by reaching on catchers' interference, then stealing second. Sadie Heming's scorcher nicked off the glove of Chabot's shortstop as Cruz trotted home. Then came the big shot in the inning, as Solis cleared the bases with her first collegiate three-bagger. A couple of batters later, Taylor Hanshaw came through with a pinch-hit, two-run single as she continued her solid month of March.

The big story of the game was Solis, the freshman catcher who has played and held herself like anything but a freshman. In her six-game hitting streak, Solis is 11-for-17 at the plate with a double, a triple and five driven in. The pitcher firing to her for three innings, Padilla, looked like she hadn't missed a step in her first appearance in about a month, striking out three while allowing just one unearned run.

Out of the bullpen, Katy Lambert dazzled with some of the best strikeout stuff she'd had to this point in the season. Lambert worked around a two-out walk while striking out the side in a hitless fourth inning, shutting the Gladiators down after the Vikings notched seven on the board. In the fifth, she closed out the game with three more strikeouts sandwiching a walk and a single.

It was one of the more complete victories of the season for the Vikings, who had contributions in all the right places to bounce back nicely. Now, another big matchup awaits, as the Vikings head up north for a weekend to take on No. 17 Folsom Lake on Saturday.