SOFTBALL

second in the ACCAC), went the distance in game one, allowing one run on three hits (and no walks) with five strikeouts in seven innings.

Turner got the ball in game two and turned in a nearly identical line (3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), with the exception being she only had to go five innings thanks to AWC’s offensive outburst ending the game early.

And outfielder Sally Gastelo, another sophomore, was one of the team’s top hitters on the day, going a combined 4-for-6 in the doubleheader.

For Gastelo, who played locally at Kofa High School from 2012-15, it was her last time taking the field in Yuma.

“I’m just really grateful for the community here in Yuma,” said Gastelo, who has signed with the University of North Texas to continue her career. “They’ve really helped me grow and become the athlete that I am today.”

Gastelo scored the go-ahead run in a closely contested game one, as catcher McKenna Pisciotta — also a sophomore — drove her in with a two-out double in the bottom of the fourth inning to give AWC a 2-1 lead.

AWC went on to tack on two more runs in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 4-1, which ended up being the final score.

The Matadors made sure game two wasn’t as close, pounding out 12 hits to more than double their game one total (5) and scoring two runs in the second, four runs in the third and three runs in the fourth.

Besides Gastelo going 3-for-3 that game, freshman shortstop Allison Betty went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, freshman outfielder Erika Mercado went 1-for-3 with a tworun double and freshman second baseman Alisha Diaz reached base three times (one hit, two walks).

“I was happy to finally see us adjust (offensively) the second game,” Bethurum said.

The combination of quality pitching and timely offense has been key to AWC’s recent run of success, as the Matadors have outscored their opponents 44-11 during their current six-game winning streak.

That’s all come while knowing their chances of qualifying for the four-team ACCAC Division I playoffs were slim-to-none, as they’re currently fifth out of five D-I teams in the conference.

“That’s exactly what we’ve been talking about the last couple of weeks, is to finish the season right,” Bethurum said. “Just because the postseason (isn’t happening), there’s a lot of other things to play for — not just your own pride and pride in the school, but they’re looking to move on and they’re looking to better themselves.”

With 13 freshmen on this year’s roster, Bethurum hopes that this year’s ups and downs will serve as a learning experience going forward — and that a strong finish will create some momentum heading into the offseason.

“Our conference is very strong, so if you take it lightly for a week or two you can get behind really quick, and I feel like that’s what happened to us really early this season,” Bethurum said. “Hopefully we can learn from that and not let it happen again next year.”