Coyotes grab pair of wins
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Mikayla Arrieta was inserted into the No. 2 spot in the Coyotes’ line-up and went 4-for-9 (.444) with three runs and two RBIs in two Monday victories at the Redwood Preseason Tournament on Monday in Visalia.
After dodging rain for the past week, the Madera Coyotes softball team finally concluded the Redwood Preseason Tournament with a pair of victories under clear skies.
The Coyotes picked up a 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Mt. Whitney-Visalia in the first game and scored 12 unanswered runs in a 12-5 win over Golden West- Visalia in their second game Monday.
Madera opened the tournament with an 8-5, eight-inning victory over Stockdale-Bakersfield on Feb. 28 in a game moved up a day because of a March 1 storm. The Coyotes suffered their only loss of the tournament to Redwood, 6-0, in the second game.
The Coyotes were supposed to play March 3, but rain moved the games to Monday.
Madera is currently playing in the Elk Grove Preseason Tournament, which concludes today. Madera 10, Mt. Whitney 0
(5 innings)
Madera pitchers Kaylee Dawson and Felicity Rocha held the Mt. Whitney Pioneers to just four hits while the Coyotes’ offense banged out 15 in a 10-0 mercy-rule victory.
Tayah Hernandez led the Coyotes with four hits and drove in four runs. Valerie Ornelas drove in a run with a double.
Along with Hernandez, Taylor Brooks and Mikayla Arrieta set the table at the top of the Coyotes order. They combined for 10 hits, five runs and seven RBIs.
The Coyotes started the scoring in the second inning. Hollee Brown led off the inning with a four-pitch walk. Sofia Perez was hit by a pitch. Dawson sacrificed the runners to second and third. Gennahlyn Sanchez followed with a single to drive in Brown.
Joslynn Davis grounded out and pinch-runner Neveah Montes was tagged out at the plate trying to score to end the inning.
Madera added three more runs in the third. Brooks and Arrieta led off with singles. Hernandez singled home Brooks and Ornelas doubled home Arrieta, but Hernandez was tagged out at the plate.
Brown singled and Perez singled home pinch-runner Mariah McMillon for a 4-0 lead.
With one out in the fourth, again, Brooks and Arrieta, singled. The pair stole second and third and scored on Hernandez’s single.
Madera put the game away in the fifth. Perez led off with a walk, but Rocha forced pinch-runner Montes at second. Sanchez walked and McMillon singled to load the bases.
Brooks followed with another single to drive in pinch-runner Leilani Ricks and Sanchez. Arrieta singled home McMillon and Hernandez drove in Brooks with another single to end the game with a 10-0 victory.
In the circle, Dawson was dominant from the start. She allowed just one baserunner in three innings of work to go with three strikeouts. Rocha allowed three hits, but Brooks threw a runner trying for the extra base to end the fourth inning. Madera 12, Golden West 5
After allowing four runs in the first inning, the Coyotes scored 11 runs in the fifth for a 12-5 victory to close out the tournament Monday.
Freshman Kaylee Patlan saw her first action of the season and was shaky. She allowed four runs with two walks and a strikeout. However, all four runs were unearned while allowing four hits.
Dawson came in relief to pick up the win. She retired the first nine batters she saw and got through a bases loaded jam in the seventh for the win.
Again, the top three batters in the lineup led the Coyotes. Brooks led the team with three hits while the top three batters combined for six hits, four runs and six RBIs. The Coyotes also got two hits from Hernandez, Brown and Camile DeAnda.
The first batter of the game reached on an error. Patlan got a force out for the first out, but a walk and double drove in a run. Patlan got a strikeout, but two singles drove in two runs. A walk and a single drove in another run, but left fielder Hernandez and first baseman Brown threw out the batter trying to take an extra base.
After loading the bases in the first inning and not getting a run, the Coyotes got on the scoreboard in the second. Sanchez tripled and scored on a DeAnda sacrifice fly.
The Trailblazers added to their lead in the fifth with a single, groundout and single for a 5-1 lead.
The floodgates opened for the Coyotes in the fifth inning. They sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs to take control of the game.
DeAnda started the rally by getting hit by a pitch. After she stole second, DeAnda went to third on a Brooks single. Brooks stole second and went to third on a Hernandez single while DeAnda scored.
Ornelas drove in Brooks and Hernandez with a triple. Pinch-runner McMillon scored on Brown’s single. Perez kept the rally going with a single. Dawson was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sanchez drew a walk to force in Brown. DeAnda singled home pinch-runner Montes while the bases remained loaded to take a 6-5 lead.
Brooks kept the line moving with a single to drive in pinch-runner Davis and Sanchez while DeAnda advanced to third and Brooks went to second on a throw.
Arrieta singled home DeAnda and took second on an error. Hernandez doubled home Brooks and Arrieta for an 11-run inning for a 12-5 lead.
DeAnda and Brooks had singles in the sixth, but the Coyotes didn’t add to their lead.
Golden West put up a threat in the seventh with one out. An error, single and walk loaded the bases. A groundout to third forced a runner at the plate. Dawson then got a popup to Brown at first to end the game.
