SARATOGA -- West Valley softball continued its strong play to open the season, bouncing back from an early deficit in both games of the double header against a strong Santa Rosa JC squad. The No. 3 Vikings (5-0) got contributions up and down the lineup while the bullpen was strong for a second- and third-straight game.

"To be able to face some adversities," said Viking head coach Vicky Piatt, "and have some hits off of our stellar pitching and still have the ability to have our bench and our players hit and then our defense play defense, I'm happy. I thought we played well."

Game one was a pitchers' duel. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Amelia Sizemore started in the circle for the Vikings, going three strong innings while working around four walks. Her stuff was stellar, allowing no hits with a plethora of soft contact to tightrope out of the free passes she'd allowed.

On the other end, Santa Rosa (1-3) starter Mya Gonzalez had a similar line to that of Sizemore, allowing four hits and three walks but finishing three scoreless innings.

Ella Moser started at third for West Valley in the first game of the double header and, in the third inning, made two solid plays lunging towards the third base line as she hugged the bag. Moser has been versatile in her two seasons in Saratoga, holding down first base last year before moving to the left side as a sophomore, a place she takes pride in.

"It's completely different," Moser said of playing the left side of the infield. "But I really like playing all the different positions. I really love short. I usually start at short, but today I started at third and it was like a nice change."

The teams traded zeroes in the fourth inning with each bringing in a new pitcher. For West Valley, opening day starter Ana Marquez got the relief appearance for the second straight day while Santa Rosa countered with Gia Hernandez.

In the fifth inning, the Bear Cubs drew first blood when a pair of one-out singles put runners on the corners for Mira Olvera, the Santa Rosa leadoff hitter, who squibbed one to the right side that Viking second baseman Aneesa Aguon couldn't handle as a run came home to score.

Trailing by one in the bottom of the sixth, freshman shortstop Izzy Paskert led off the inning with a single before Mo Temple reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on first and second. After Moser flew out, redshirt freshman center fielder Taylor Hanshaw crushed a double to the left-center field gap to bring home both runners and push the Vikings ahead.

Looking to push more across, Piatt sent freshman Angie Fulkerson to the plate in a pinch-hit spot. Her message was simple.

"When she came in, I go, 'thanks for making me look good!' It's one of those things. It was going to be a hard hit. just wanted someone that was going to hit the ball hard."

Hernandez (0-2) grooved an 0-2 pitch to Fulkerson, who walloped the ball to the same area that Hanshaw had doubled -- only this time, the ball cleared the fence.

"I was honestly a little nervous at first," said Fulkerson, "because my coach had just told me, 'oh, you're up right now,' which, in a way, I think was good because I didn't have time to think about it too much. And my mindset was just, I'd seen the pitcher [from the] other players before me, so I knew what she was pitching and my mindset was just to hit it hard and down and make solid contact."

While there had been a lot of hard contact early in Fulkerson's freshman season, she was only 1-for-5 (albeit with a double) in her short time with the Vikings. But Piatt mentioned her before the season as a true power threat in the Vikings lineup, and she seems to be finding her groove. In  the two games combined, Fulkerson finished 4-of-5 with two doubles and a home run.

"I've definitely also gained a lot more confidence after playing a few games," said Fulkerson. "At first, it wasn't really clicking, but now I feel like today it really clicked really well. Just connecting with the ball, getting my timing down, and making sure to use the power that I have."

That home run gave the Vikings some insurance before Mar            quez (2-0) closed the door in the seventh.

Santa Rosa took an early game two lead as well when Olvera clobbered a leadoff homer for her first of the season. In the bottom of the first, Temple doubled before Lexi Bojorquez-Nava singled her home with two down in the inning. The Vikings stayed quiet until the third when Temple, as part of a 3-for-4 second game, drove in another run with a single before driving in another in the fourth.

In the fifth inning with West Valley holding a 4-1 lead, freshman Kaylee Kline allowed a three-run home run to Santa Rosa's Brianna Allen that tied the game at four. It felt like momentum, which had evaded the Bear Cubs all day long, was finally on their side.

The Vikings answered by bringing in Katy Lambert. Lambert, who had taken a year off of softball, had a dominant entrance, striking out the first two batters she faced.

"I like to stay super calm," said Lambert. "I'm not usually one to get too fired up. I like to stay in the moment, and my breath is a big thing and just staying with knowing that I know how to pitch. I've been here before, and I know I can pick up my other pitchers."

After Lambert picked up Kline, the Vikings' bats picked up Lambert. Five straight singles in the bottom half of the inning gave West Valley a slight lead before Moser doubled to clear the bases. She had an incredible day both defensively (she shifted to shortstop in game two) and at the plate, reaching base four times overall.

"At first, I was like a little bit like iffy," said Moser of hitting at the bottom of the lineup, "'oh, I'm [hitting ninth]'. But now, I'm glad to have that spot because I start the innings off a lot, and I really like that in the ninth spot."

"Our coaching philosophy," said Piatt, "is to have someone in the nine-hole that can turn it over and we feel so confident in Ella and her ability. The growth that she made from last year to this year has been really strong, especially the time that she put in the offseason. It's showing up."

Now pitching with a sizable lead, Lambert made sure to stick within herself and not let it get to her head.

"A big thing that I've been working on," said Lambert, "is when that happens, trying to focus on getting that first out or not, especially not walking batters, no free bases in that situation. I'm just staying within the moment, like I said, staying calm, deep breath, and working for my teammates."

In the bottom of the sixth inning, freshman catcher Robyn Young pinch-hit for her first at-bat, blasting a home run to left field as the Vikings' second of the day.

"That was really cool," said Piatt. "That one felt really good because I needed to make sure to get Robyn her first at-bat, and so to be able to do it with a pinch-hit home run for her first collegiate at-bat, it's pretty solid."

Lambert (1-0) closed the door in the seventh to give the Vikings their fifth victory of the season.

Maybe most telling for the potential depth of this young Vikings' squad is the extra-base power they displayed today. Only one of West Valley's 24 home runs from last season, belonging to Raylene Cruz, returned in the 2026 season. But through five games, the Vikings have home runs from three different players and had 10 extra-base hits as a team on Saturday.

"I'm not surprised in terms of knowing that these athletes could do it," said Piatt of the power she's seen. "Since it's showing up early, I think the freshmen are getting their hacks in and the learning curve is short, they're getting the experience in. Everything gets hit really hard."

Now, the Vikings continue their difficult stretch to open the season, as No. 6 Cosumnes River heads to Saratoga for a Friday the 13^th double header, with first pitch scheduled at noon.