Alyssa Yglesias Delivers a Walk-Off Double in Extra Innings for the Dons 10-9 Win

Genna Main is greeted at home plate by Sabrina Perez (44) and Danielle Hernandez as she scores the game-winning run in the Dons 10-9 walk-off win over Grossmont.
Genna Main is greeted at home plate by Sabrina Perez (44) and Danielle Hernandez as she scores the game-winning run in the Dons 10-9 walk-off win over Grossmont.

SANTA ANA - Needing three runs in the eighth inning, the Dons rallied for a walk-off 10-9 win over Grossmont College to improve to 9-3 on the season. Alyssa Yglesias drove a double to centerfield that brought Genna Main home from third base for the winning run.

The Dons had a 7-5 lead going into the seventh inning, but Grossmont (8-6) rallied for a pair of unearned runs to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the eighth inning, it didn't take the Griffins long to reclaim the lead for the first time since the third inning. With a runner starting the inning on second base due to the international tie-breaker rule, Grossmont got a RBI-double to go up 8-7. Later in the inning, the Griffins extended their lead to 9-7 on a sacrifice fly.

But the Dons had the same advantage of a runner at second to start the bottom of the eighth. Heather Robertson came in as a pinch hitter and delivered with a RBI-double to pull the Dons within one. Genna Main then followed with a RBI-double of her own, scoring pinch runner Eryn Martinez to tie the game at 9-9. After Alexandra Perkins successfully advanced Main with a sacrifice bunt, Yglesias brought Main home for the game-winning run.

Grossmont opened scored in the first inning with one run before Sabrina Perez put SAC up 2-0 in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run. The Dons added a third run in the first on Devon Rodriguez' solo home run. The Griffins answered with four runs in the third, two unearned, to go up on the Dons 5-3.

The Dons came right back in the bottom of the third with Danielle Hernandez doubling in Yglesias to pull the Dons within one at 5-4 before scoring on a Marissa Ross single to tie the game at 5-5. The Dons reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning when Martinez singled and got caught in a rundown, allowing Mina Pavao to score. Perkins later scored on a RBI-single by Perez in the sixth inning to set up the Dons 7-5 lead going into the final frame.

Chantal Oelrich (5-3) picked up the win for the Dons in relief of Rodriguez. Oelrich finished the game with five runs allowed, one earned, on seven hits over six innings of work. Kelsey Townsend (5-3) suffered the loss for Grossmont as she allowed all 10 runs, nine earned, on 17 hits in 7.1 innings pitched.

The Dons return to Orange Empire Conference action tomorrow when they travel to Orange Coast College. First pitch is at 2:00 p.m.