A dominant pitching performance from DVC’s Danielle LaVere on Feb. 5 led the Vikings to 2-1 victory in the first game of a double header against West Hills. 

But it was a different story in the second game, as the West Hills offense broke out and scored eight runs, while shutting out the Viking offense. 

The first game was a pitcher’s duel, with both teams taking a shutout into the eighth inning. 

West Hills had a scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth with runners on first and third with two outs, but a strikeout by LaVere ended the threat. 

DVC looked to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth after a lead-off single by Julia Kubik, only to get picked off of first to end the threat. 

West Hills got on the board first, scoring on a double in the top of the eighth. But timely pitching and defense yielded two straight groundouts and got DVC out of the inning allowing only the one run. 

The Vikings needed to score in the bottom of the eighth, or the game would be over. 

After a lead-off double, DVC bunted the runner over to third, after West Hills tried to get the lead runner at third but the runner was called safe. 

With runners on second and third with no outs, the Vikings had all the momentum. And after another bunt yielded no throw from the West Hills third baseman, DVC had the bases loaded with no outs. 

A single by Julia Kubik followed, which plated two and gave the Vikings the 2-1 win.

In the second game of the double header, West Hills had all the offensive firepower, breaking the game open in the third inning by putting three runs on the board off of starting pitcher Danielle Foster. 

The Vikings made a pitching change in the third, going back to LaVere after her eight-inning shutout just hours before. 

West Hills would add four more in the fifth inning, one on the second error of the game on LaVere throwing high to first. 

After a diving tag at home by DVC’s third baseman, Therese Gascon-Minton saved another run, a three homer made the score 8-0 where it stayed the rest of the game. 

With the split of the double header, DVC’s record now stands at 4-2 in this young season. 

The team plays against Solano Feb. 12 at home.