Without Moore, PCC Softball Producing Less

With Thursday's 8-0 loss to East Los Angeles College, the Pasadena City College softball team has been shut out in back-to-back, South Coast Conference games. The Lancers lack of offense has coincided with an injury to sophomore leading hitter Kayla Moore, who is out this week with a muscle strain.

PCC's last two games have also been a bit on the odd side, losing by an identical 8-0 score to Cerritos on Feb. 28. Both contests were played at Robinson Park and yet both went the full seven innings despite the final-score appearance of mercy rule defeats.

The Lancers' season record fell to 7-11 and, after a 2-0 beginning to SCC play, the team is stuck in a 4-game losing streak in conference games.

"We're lacking a sense of urgency at the plate, and even in the field," said PCC Head Coach Brittany Williams. "It's not one player that has to get going, we need the entire squad to pick up its level of play. Pitcher Casey Ramirez has thrown well enough, but you can't tell that by looking at the box scores. She held down Cerritos' bats for most of Tuesday's game and she had little defense behind her v. East LA. If she can continue to throw well, we can use Kayla at other spots."

Moore is the team's sophomore pitching ace with four victories and a 2.90 ERA in 60-plus innings. Her .444 average tops the squad at the plate.

In the ELAC defeat, second baseman Nikki Salas was 2-for-3 and centerfielder Brittany Skoien hit a first-inning triple, but PCC couldn't produce a run against ELAC starter Janessa Martinez and reliever Evangeline Montes (pitched seventh inning).

Ramirez, a freshman lefty, hurled consecutive complete games and is 2-4 on the season. The team made five errors that resulted in four unearned runs against the Huskies, a team that is now 6-11 and also 2-4 in the SCC. She allowed an acceptable nine earned runs in this week's defeats.