SARATOGA -- No. 3 West Valley softball won its fourth-straight conference game thanks to the heroics of Katy Lambert on both sides of the ball. The Vikings (28-2, 7-1 Coast) thrashed through their conference foes, the Monterey Peninsula Lobos (8-20, 3-5 Coast), winning with a 10-0 final.
Making her first start in the circle since March 7 against the College of the Sequoias, Lambert faced only one real jam in the game, one that came in the first inning. After a leadoff groundout, Lambert walked Gwynn Lizama before allowing a single to Alyssa HuiHui-Martinez. But Lambert worked around an ensuing passed ball, striking out a pair to end the inning.
The Viking bats rewarded Lambert for her efforts getting out of the inning. It was a different look offensively for the Vikings, as sophomore Lexi Bojorquez-Nava moved from the cleanup spot to an unfamiliar spot at the top of the order. She reached on an error, and after a double from Mo Temple to put runners on second and third, Raylene Cruz came through with a double of her own to give the Vikings all the offense they needed.
West Valley's defense allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings, reaching on an error, while the offense went down in order in the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the third, the Vikings got two of their first three on before freshman Angie Fulkerson wallopped a ball for a three-run homer to push West Valley's lead to five. It was Fulkerson's fourth home run of the season, leading the Vikings.
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth and fifth. The final line, at least in the circle, for Lambert was five innings of one-hit, no-run ball while striking out four.
Kaylee Kline entered in the circle in the top of the sixth, pushing Lambert to the full-time DP position, and struck out two of the three batters she faced in a 1-2-3 inning. Already with a five-run advantage, Zoe Griffin singled in the bottom of the sixth, and Cruz's single scored her to push the Viking lead to six. After a Fulkerson single, Lambert, who started the game in the cleanup spot, hit her first collegiate home run, a booming, three-run shot to win the game for the Vikings.
West Valley seems to have found its groove, with a high-octane offensive performance after a lineup shakeup and the pitching continuing to be one of the best in the state. Up next is a big test, as the Vikings take on undefeated, top-ranked San Mateo on Thursday.
