el Don Vol. 97 No.4 | Page 8

SAC SPORTS SOFTBALL STORY: RAFAEL VALENCIA PHOTOS: DANNY DE LA CRUZ Sophomore Madelyn Holzeberg had three RBIs in the Dons Feb. 19 win against Riverside. She holds the second-highest average on the team. OFFENSIVE FLEX Santa Ana’s players started the season by outscoring opponents 42-15. Sophomore pitcher Brandi Kirkpatrick hit a double and drove in two runs in the second inning of the Dons 4-2 victory over Saddleback College Wednesday, halting a two game skid and improving its record to 8-5 (2-3 conference). “ I think our team’s performance has definitely improved each game. We play with heart and it’s amazing to see how much we’ve improved from the beginning of the season to where we are now. When it comes to team weaknesses I feel like we have developed as a team and outgrown them one game at a time,” Kirkpatrick said. The Dons explosive offense is led by Kirkpatrick and sophomore outfielder Madelyn Holzberg. In 43 plate appearances, Kirkpatrick logged 17 hits, including nine doubles. She is also averaging .548 OBP, .472 batting 8 el Don Santa Ana College · March 2020 average, and a .722 slugging percentage. Holzberg is averaging .483 OBP, .462 batting average, .615 slugging percentage, and has 12 hits on 26 ABs. SAC began the season outscoring their opponents 42-15 in its first five games. However, Santa Ana has gone 4-4 in their last eight games and has only outscored their opponents 27-23. The Dons defense has given up 16 errors on the season and is working towards improving their fielding. Sophomore pitcher Emily Rosas, who was awarded the Player of the Week, is a dominant force on the Dons staff. In 10 games, she has logged 56 innings and has a 1.75 ERA in that span. Santa Ana is in fifth place in the OEC standings. The Dons play a neutral game at Citrus College vs.Pasadena City College on Friday, Feb. 28 at 2:p.m. Sophomore Brandi Kirkpatrick threw a complete game against Riverside.