By Willis Torres |Staff Writer|

The Coyote softball team returned from the Desert Stinger tournament, winning three out of five games.

It is safe to say that the team came out swinging against their competition since the Coyotes were able to score 39 runs over the course of the five games that took place during the tournament in Las Vegas.

The Coyotes began the tournament on Feb. 5 against the University of Hawaii, Hilo Vulcans where they had multiple home runs, sophomore Kaylee Gemmell started the first inning with a two-run home run to left field.

In the third inning, sophomore Amanda Herrera hit a two-run home run as well.

When the Coyotes were not at-bat, junior pitcher Cassandra Williams was able to keep the Vulcans at bay, racking up seven strikeouts over the course of six innings against the Vulcans.

When asked how she managed to start the season with a 4-0 record over her first four games, Williams stated, “I go out there with a plan and find the opponents weakness and try to pitch around them and take each batter at a time.”

Williams is currently second overall in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with 25 strikeouts.

“I’m a rise-ball pitcher, one of the hardest pitches to hit, and I try to keep the ball away from the batter so it’s harder for them to hit,” said Williams about her high number of strikeouts.

The Coyotes earned their first win of the tournament against the Vulcans with a final score of 8-5.

The following game took place the night of Feb. 5 against the University of Colorado Mountain Lions in Colorado Springs. The Coyotes put up a good fight but earned their first loss of the season against the Mountain Lions with a final score of 8-7.

The team had some strong at-bats during the seventh inning against the Mountain Lions, scoring six runs during the inning, including a two-run home run by sophomore Caitlyn Olan.

The second day of the three-day tournament, the team played against the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks where the Coyotes came out with their bats a blaze, winning by a score of 12-4.

It was apparent that the Coyotes got plenty of rest the night before since the team tallied 11 runs alone in the first inning against the Mavericks.

The next game against the Western Washington University Vikings was no different.

The Coyotes came in strong with sophomore Jessica Brown hitting a three-run home run that earned her three RBI’s in the fourth inning.

The Coyotes triumphed over the Vikings with a final score of 8-2.

The final day of the tournament, the Coyotes went toe-to-toe against their final opponent, the Central Washington University Wildcats.

The Coyotes still maintained strong at-bats but fell short by one run, giving the Wildcats the win with a final score of 4-5.

Vincent DeLoza, father of freshmen Jackie DeLoza, was asked what he was looking forward to this season, “Coming out to seem them play and seeing them do what they do best,” said Mr. DeLoza.

CSUSB is currently at a 5-2 in the standing and is gearing up for some home games before making their way up north to play the San Francisco State Gators on Feb. 19.