REDDING, Calif. – Shasta College's softball team split its home-opening doubleheader Saturday with College of the Redwoods, winning 8-5 for its first victory of the year and losing the second game 10-3.
In game one, Redwoods pitcher Makayla Bernard was erratic, forcing the Knights to be patient at the plate. Three of Shasta's first four runs came across from drawing bases-loaded walks to lead 4-3 after two innings.
Bernard walked 11 batters through the first four innings including five in the opening frame. After the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic and being timid at the plate against Siskiyous the week before, coach Amy Knowles was tired of waiting around and gave her Knights the green light to hit away.
"We've been sitting around for so many days and months, I finally just told them to jump on whatever they could get," Knowles said.
Whitney Carnes and Madisen Borek ripped RBI singles later in the game and Carnes, hit a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to pull away.
The lead was strong with Kaylie McDaniel pitching for Shasta. McDaniel was dominant through the middle innings, retiring 10 straight at one point and only allowing one hit across four innings. McDaniel got the complete game win, striking out five, allowing five runs on nine hits and walked none.
"She settled in great," Shufelberger-Knowles said. "To her defense, that first inning she did what we asked her to do, we didn't play defense behind her."
Redwood scored twice in the top of the seventh on an error but McDaniel finished off the Corsairs to earn the first win.
Carnes was 2 for 2 with five RBIs and two walks, Autumn Giannini was 2 for 2 with two runs and two walks, Shelbe Cappello walked three times and scored three times, Madeline Nightingale scored twice in the win.
In the second game, Shasta lost 10-3 behind five fielding errors. Carnes took the defeat in the circle, giving up seven runs – five earned – on four hits in 1.2 innings. McDaniel struck out six and walked none, allowing one run on five hits in 4.1 innings of work.
Nightingale was 2 for 3 with a stolen base, Carnes was 2 for 4 with a double, Giannini and McDaniel each recorded an RBI. Calley Rupert scored once and stole a base.
Shasta (1-3) hosts Butte College Thursday for a doubleheader at noon and 2 p.m.
Photo Credit: Mike Daly