Buster throws third perfect game of year

The Como-Pickton Lady Eagles improved to 3-0 in district play Tuesday with a 10-0 shutout road win over the Fruitvale Lady Bobcats. During the game, Mattison Buster would throw her third perfect game of the season.

The Lady Eagles stepped up the plate first. After Bella Romero walked, Lauren Lewellen hit a fly ball for an out. Though Buster hit a fly ball for an out on the next at-bat, Romero managed to score after tagging up, giving the Lady Eagles an early 1-0. Como-Pickton’s turn at the plate ended after Addi Monk hit a fly ball for an out.

The Lady Bobcats went down in order during the bottom of the first inning, Buster struck out the first three batters. The score remained 1-0.

The second inning began with Hannah Pegues striking out. Alyssa Corona would hit a single on the next at-bat. She would score a run after stealing the remaining bases, extending the Lady Eagles' lead to 2-0.

After both Cali Morris and Juda Van Rijn both walked, Sanay Diaz grounded into a fielder’s choice, reaching second base on an error and bringing Van Rijn home, increasing the score to 3-0. The inning ended soon after when Romero struck out and Lewellen hit a fly ball for an out.

Buster continued to play well in the second inning, striking out the first three Fruitvale batters in order. The score remained 3-0.

The third inning started off with Buster hitting a pop fly ball for an out. After Monk hit a single and Pegues struck out, Corona hit an RBI triple, bringing Monk home and increasing the lead to 4-0. Morris hit an RBI single on the next at-bat, driving Corona home and building the lead to 5-0.

Though Van Rijn continued the inning after a walk, Diaz struck out on the next at-bat, ending the rally.

The Lady Bobcats had no answers in the bottom of the third inning, as Buster struck out the first three batters in order once again. The score remained 5-0.

The Lady Eagles would go down in order to start the fourth inning, as Romero hit a pop fly ball for an out, Lewellen grounded out, and Buster hit a fly ball for an out.

The Lady Bobcats once again went down in order during the bottom of the fourth inning, as Buster struck out two batters and another out was recorded on a dropped third strike, leaving the score 5-0.

The fifth inning began with Monk walking. After Pegues hit a pop fly ball for an out, Corona recorded an RBI single, driving Monk home and increasing the score to 6-0. After Morris struck out, Van Rijn recorded an RBI single, bringing Corona home and building the lead to 7-0.

On the next at-bat, Diaz reached base on an error, allowing Fernanda Palacios, who was pinch running for Van Rijn, to score, bringing the lead to 8-0. The scoring continued when Romero hit an RBI triple, allowing Makensa Morris, who was pinch running for Diaz, to score, raising the score to 9-0. The inning ended after Lewellen grounded out.

The Lady Bobcats went down in order yet again in the bottom of the fifth inning, following a ground out and two more strikeouts from Buster. The score remained 9-0.

The sixth inning began with Buster hitting a double. This was followed by Monk hitting an RBI triple, bringing Buster home and extending the lead to 10-0.

However, the inning ended quickly thereafter, as Monk was caught stealing home and both Pegues and Corona’s at-bats resulted in outs. With that, the game ended, as the Lady Eagles added another win to their win column.

As a team, the Lady Eagles batted 9 for 26 (.346) from the plate. Corona was the leading hitter, batting 3 for 3. Monk added two hits, while Buster, Cali Morris, Romero, and Van Rijn added one hit each.

Corona also finished as the leading scorer with three runs. Monk scored two runs, while Buster, Cali Morris, Makensa Morris, Palacios, and Romero added one run each.

In her third perfect game of the year, Buster struck out 13 batters across five innings. She also raised her strikeout total to 200 for the year.

With the win, the Lady Eagles are now 19-3 overall this season. Their next game is Friday, when they travel to Alba to take on the Alba-Golden Lady Panthers.