Mesa southpaw two-hits Dons

SOFTBALL: Dons vs. San Diego Mesa
GAME DATE: Wednesday, January-30, 2013

Before San Diego Mesa southpaw Laura Nelson threw a pitch, her team was up by six runs. Nelson threw a two-hitter Wednesday, as the Dons fell 11-0 to the visiting Olympians.

Mesa scored six first inning runs without a ball reaching the outfield, assisted by five Dons errors.

“It is a long season and we have a lot of learning to do,” Co-Head Coach Jessica Rapoza said.

With one out, runners at second and third, Olympians’ first baseman Alexandra Mootry hit a ground ball into the hole that Dons’ shortstop Danielle Hernandez caught and tossed to third.

But third baseman Becky Poirier never had a chance.

The ball landed and one hopped into the dugout fence about 10 feet past the bag, allowing Olympians’ shortstop Carly Mitchell to trot home for the first run of the game.

“I just got a little ahead of myself, and the ball got stuck in my glove,” Hernandez said. “So when I went to throw it went a little wide.”

The Olympians added another five runs in the top half of the sixth inning, stretching the lead to 11.

Nelson, a sophomore, was perfect through 3 2/3 innings before Hernandez picked up a bloop double on a two-strike pitch that landed just out of the reach of a diving second baseman.

“I was trying not to think about it,” Nelson said. “It got in my head.”

Pinch Hitter Eryn Martinez picked up the Dons’ second hit of the game in the bottom half of the fifth.

The Dons next game is Saturday at Santa Barbara City College, 11 a.m.