The Atwater High softball team started out Central California Conference play with an impressive 15-3 victory over El Capitan at Atwater High School on Tuesday afternoon. The Falcons received contributions from up and down the lineup as they cranked out 14 hits in a game that was stopped after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

 

“I was extremely happy with all of the contributions from everyone in the lineup yesterday,” said Atwater coach Jenna Mitchell, whose team improved to 8-5 overall. “We have been working hard this season, as basically a whole new team, to find the right combination of girls to make this team work well together and it showed yesterday.”

The Falcons came out swinging as they posted five runs in the first inning and four more runs in the second. Sophomore Kennedy Ross delivered key hits in both innings, lining a two-run triple to left in the first inning and then driving in two more runs with a second-inning single. Madi Hiler and Aurdina Granados drove in runs with hits during the second inning also for the Falcons.

 

“Kennedy's bat in the lineup is something we have been looking forward to since last year when it seemed like every time we looked at the JV field she was hitting another home run,” Michell said.  “If we can get runners on in front of her the odds of her adding to her RBI total looks good.”

 

Ross finished the game going 2 for 2 with five RBIs. Emma Romo and Granados both drove in three runs and Kylie Medina, Granados and Genesis Velasquez all scored three runs each for the Falcons. Meanwhile, sophomore right-hander Caylor Gibson went the distance in the circle, striking out five and surrendering two earned runs.

The Gauchos have been off to a great start this season even after Tuesday’s loss. El Capitan is now 8-3 this season as the Gauchos bounce back from an 0-19 record from last year. Emma Derichsweiler had two hits and scored a run for El Capitan and Ava Arriaga added two hits and two RBIs.

 

Mitchell says the CCC race should be fun to watch this year. “If this group can play clean defense and hit like we have been recently I think we have a good shot at a CCC championship this year,” she said.

Merced 1, Los Banos 0 – Merced’s Annalise Ramirez and Los Banos’ Grace Orozco were locked in a scoreless pitching duel through seven innings before the Bears finally pushed across the winning run in the eighth inning. Mariah Higareda collected two of the Bears’ three hits and scored the only run of the game. Ramirez surrendered just one hit and struck out 16 batters to pick up the victory. Orozco finished with 11 strikeouts for LB.

 

Merced improved to 9-1 this season and Ramirez has now struck out 94 hitters in 58 innings this season to go with a 0.36 ERA. Ramirez is seventh in the Sac-Joaquin Section with her 94 strikeouts.

 

Buhach Colony 10, Golden Valley 0 – Peyton Runyan-Rocha collected three hits and three RBIs to lead the Thunder to a victory in their CCC opener against Golden Valley. Kodie Stevens-Hoffman added two runs and three RBIs and Madisyn Leard had two hits and two RBIs for Buhach Colony (10-7), which won its third consecutive game. Leard pitched five innings and gave up four hits to pick up the win.

 

Lathrop 13, Livingston 12 – The Spartans scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pick up a walk-off victory in extra inning against the Wolves on Monday. Alexis Ross had four hits and five runs scored for Livingston and Belen Covarrubias Mariah Blaine both added four hits and three RBIs.

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUSHD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.