FOLSOM -- A couple days removed from its only loss to this point in the season, No. 2 West Valley hit the road, heading up north to take on No. 17 Folsom Lake in a Saturday double-header. While the Vikings (22-1, 2-1 Coast) had tremendous pitching all day long, their bats exploded in the first game. The Falcons (16-9, 6-3 Big 8) only used one pitcher in the first game while seemingly putting all their eggs in the game two basket. But the Vikings continued to bounce back from a loss to No. 1 San Mateo, winning game one, 9-1, and game two, 2-1.
One of the calling cards of West Valley's offense to this point in the year has been its success with two outs. That continued in the first inning against the Falcons, as West Valley's top two hitters got out quickly. But Raylene Cruz continued her run of strong offensive play with a single and Angie Fulkerson, who head coach Vicky Piatt praised for her power potential before the season, blasted her second home run of the year as West Valley jumped out to a 2-0 lead. In response, freshman Kaylee Kline set down the side in order in the first inning.
In the second inning, the Vikings got the scoring started early. Two straight singles to open the frame from Aneesa Aguon and April Price put runners on and, with one out, shortstop Izzy Paskert notched yet another RBI single, this one marking four straight games that the freshman has driven home a run. With two outs and two in scoring position, Cruz singled again, bringing home both runs and giving the Kline more than enough insurance to run with in the circle. She did give up her lone run in the game in the bottom half, allowing a leadoff walk and a one-out double to make the score 5-1. The teams then traded zeros, with Kline setting down the bottom of the third in 1-2-3 fashion. West Valley tacked on another in the fourth, with Fulkerson driving home Mo Temple on an RBI knock.
With Kline now in cruise control in the circle, West Valley scored three in the top of the sixth, pushing the game into run-rule territory. Paskert led off the inning with a walk before Temple doubled her home. Cruz, who still hadn't been retired to that point in the game, singled to put runners on the corners, and Fulkerson's deep fly brought Temple home. The final straw came from Destiny Solis, who grounded a ball off the glove of FLC's shortstop to bring home West Valley's ninth run.
Kline, who was absolutely perfect outside of the second inning, finished the contest by retiring 14 straight batters as the Vikings secured the victory.
The Vikings' sophomore right-hander was the biggest story of the game at first glance, but the top of West Valley's order had one of its best performances of the year. Facing Marianna Prieto, a two-way star who had allowed just two runs in her previous start against Feather River, the Paskert-Temple-Cruz-Fulkerson quarter combined to go 9-of-13 with a double, a home run and eight runs batted in.
And while game one was a 13-hit offensive onslaught, game two would be anything but. The Vikings and Falcons combined for just five total hits and three total runs, another pitchers' duel. To this point in the season, those types of games have favored West Valley. That continued in the second game of the double header. A three-pitcher masterclass in the circle and some small ball led the Vikings to win number 22 on the year.
Both teams went down in order in the first inning, as the Falcons sent out their ace in Annalee Aguilar and the Vikings sent out one of the best pitchers in the state, Ana Marquez. Viking left fielder Zoe Griffin hit a two-out single in the second, but that was the only baserunner either team had until the third. In the top half of the third, Paskert reached on an error, but picture-perfect defense from the Falcons twisted a ball from Temple into a double play. On the other end, Marquez worked around a one-out single to put up another 0. The Vikings finally put a runner in scoring position in the fourth, when Fulkerson hit a two-out single and stole second base, but she was stranded there.
The Vikings eeked across a run in the fifth, the games' first. Griffin's hard-hit ball to the third base side was thrown wide of first and she moved to second on a throwing error. Aguon bunted her over to third, and getting a start for the Vikings, Taylor Hanshaw grounded out to bring home Griffin.
They added one more, a very necessary run, in the top half of the sixth inning. Temple led off with a walk before she was cut down on a fielders' choice that saw Sadie Heming reach first. Heming, who hadn't stolen a base in her season-plus as a Viking, stole second and third base and came home to score on a groundout from Fulkerson.
Now with Bri Padilla in the circle, the Falcons squeaked across a run in the bottom of the sixth. The first two runners reached off of Padilla before Katy Lambert, who had a pinch-hit appearance in the first game, replaced her. She retired all three batters she faced, but one, a fielders' choice, brought home the run to cut the lead to just one as the final frame loomed.
In the seventh, the Vikings went down in order. Lambert worked around a two-out walk in the bottom half, picking up her first save as a Viking, while stretching the Vikings' win streak to three games.
Overall, West Valley pitching carried on with its pursuit as one of the deepest and strongest pitching staffs in the sport. Marquez, Padilla, Kline and Lambert combined over the double header to throw 13 innings, allowing just two earned runs while allowing just seven baserunners.
Following a quick conference hiatus, the Vikings are back in Coast Conference competition this week, starting on the road against Cabrillo on Tuesday.
