Bears better than Bearcats

"They're thinking a little more (in the field)," Clayton said. "We have to get to the point where we react."

San Mateo (0-1 Ocean Division, 1-1 overall) may be one of the teams most hurt by the bad weather. With only two games under their belts, the Bearcats need live game action to get to the point where they make plays instinctually. They make the right plays defensively, it just takes them time to process what needs to be done.

"We have a new right fielder, center fielder, second baseman, third baseman. We have to get them caught up to speed," Clayton said. "[The rain] hurt us … We spent a lot of time not playing softball. We need to on the field playing."

The Bearcats played well early on, even threatening to put the first runs on the board. After pitcher Cynthia Martinez got out of first-inning jam, the Bearcats loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back singles from Martinez and Melissa Morataya and a dropped third strike on Salote Tafuna. But Jamie Pollard hit a comebacker right at M-A pitcher Danielle Kielty, who went home to force Martinez out at the plate to end the inning.

Who knows what would have happened if San Mateo scored in the first.

"We're ahead now and we're sky high," Clayton said. "(Instead) they score and now we're on our heels."

Martinez worked an uneventful second inning before the Bears pushed three runs across in the third inning on three hits and an error, which was more mental than physical.

"The physical errors didn't get us in trouble, it was the mental mistakes," Clayton said.

M-A tacked on two more runs in the fourth on two hits for a 5-0 Bears' lead. In the fifth, they scored four more runs with three different players driving in a run.

San Mateo threatened again in the sixth but came up empty. Martinez led off with a double to left field and Morataya singled, sending Martinez to third. Tafuna followed and hit a soft line drive to second base, who threw to first to double off Morataya, who had strayed too far from the bag.

Despite the loss, Clayton believes his team is just going to get better as they get more innings under their belt.

"I really think we'll be OK," Clayton said. "I won't say we'll contend (for an Ocean Division title) but we'll be competitive if we make routine plays."