Coyotes get big sweep of Central
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera lead-off batter Erika Perez rips one of her three doubles in a 13-3 victory over the Central Grizzles for the doubleheader sweep Tuesday.
The Madera Coyotes softball team, fresh off of four wins in Northern California, kept its momentum with a doubleheader sweep over the Central-Fresno Grizzlies in Zimmerman Field.
The Coyotes got a solid pitching performance from freshman Alexis Galvan for a 3-1 win in the first game. The bats came alive against the Central pitching for 15 hits in a 13-3, five-inning victory.
“Those were two wins over a good Central team,” head coach Judy Shaubach said. “We played some solid softball in the first game and got our bats going in the second game. We also ran the bases aggressively in the first game to manufacture some runs and kept it up in the second game.”
The Coyotes continued their run through the Tri-River Athletic Conference with a home game Thursday before traveling to Buchanan on Tuesday and hosting Clovis East on March 22.
Madera 3, Central 1
Although the Coyotes were outhit for just the second time this season (7-5), they did just enough for the victory.
Galvan scattered seven hits over seven innings. She struck out five and stranded seven runners on base, but just two were in scoring position.
Although the Coyotes’ defense committed two errors, they threw out five Grizzlies on the bases to back Galvan.
Tayah Hernandez led the Coyotes with two hits and an RBI double. Erika Perez, Valerie Ornelas and Neveah Montes each had hits for the Coyotes.
The Coyotes got things started in the bottom of the first inning. Perez led off with an infield single. Hernandez drew a walk.
Eliza DeAnda grounded out and both runner advanced. Ornelas reached on infield single to drive in Perez. Ornelas then tried to take second base and beat the tag. She got tangled up with the Central shortstop and Hernandez scored for a 2-0 lead.
Hernandez doubled with one out in the third, but was stranded in the fifth.
The key play of the game could have come in the second inning. Central’s lead-off batter singled. The next batter tried to bunt her over, but popped the ball up. Madera first baseman Sofia Perez charged in to catch the ball. She tried to get the runner at first, but the ball hit her helmet and headed to the Madera dugout.
Erika Perez hustled to keep the ball from rolling into the dugout. Then, the Central runner tried to advance to second, but right fielder Hernandez came in and threw a strike to Lelani Ricks at second to tag out the incoming runner for the double play.
Madera leftfielder Mariah McMillon threw out a Central runner trying to from first to third for the second out of the inning.
Central broke through in the fourth. After a lead-off single, a groundout moved the runner to second and a two-out single to deep center drove in the first, and only, Grizzlies’ run of the game.
Central left a runner at second in the fifth and Madera got forceouts in the sixth and seventh innings to maintain its lead.
Madera added an insurance run in the fifth. With one out, Montes reached on a bunt single. Perez sacrificed her to second and Hernandez singled to right to drive in Montes for the 3-1 victory.
Madera 13, Central 3
The Coyotes pounded out six extra base hits in a big win over the Grizzlies in a continuation of the Central Tournament, which was rescheduled after getting rained out in February.
Eliza DeAnda was four-for-four against the Central pitching with a pair of doubles and five RBIs. Lead-off batter Erika Perez was three-for-three, all doubles, with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Kaylee Patlan was solid through four innings, but had trouble in the fifth. She picked up the win in 4 1/3 innings. She allowed three runs with three srikeouts. Felicity Rocha came in relief and closed the game with a scoreless 2/3 innings.
Madera scored in every inning, including three runs in the first inning. Perez was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Hernandez reached on an error. DeAnda split the left-center gap for a double while Perez and Hernandez scored.
Pinch-runner Ari Ochoa took third on the third and came in to score on an error.
The Coyotes sent eight batters to the plate in the third inning.
Mariah McMillon led off by reaching on an error, but was tagged out trying to take second. Montes followd with a bunt single and came all the way around the bases when Perez doubled to left-center.
Hernandez drew a walk and DeAnda doubled, again, to left-center to drive in Perez. Ornelas put down a squeeze bunt, but beat it out to drive in Hernandez.
Ornelas went to second on a wild pitch and DeAnda came in to score for a 7-0 lead.
Madera kept adding to its lead in the third. With one out, McMillon drew a walk and went to second on a Montes groundout. Perez followed with a double to the centerfield fence to drive in McMillon.
Hernandez reached on an infield single to move Perez to third. After Hernandez stole second, DeAnda singled to right to drive in Perez and Hernandez.
Ornelas was hit by a pitch and Davis singled to left to load the bases, but a groundout ended the inning.
Central scored a run in the fourth on a walk, wild pitch and single to centerfield.
Madera added another run in the fourth. Sofia Perez led off the inning with a drive to the centerfield fence. She went to third on a groundout and scored on her sister, Erika’s, double to right-center for an 11-1 lead.
The Grizzlies stayed away from the mercy rule with two runs on three hits and two errors to cut the lead to 11-3 in the fifth.
Madera added two more runs in bottom of the inning to end the game with one out due to the mercy rule.
Hernandez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. She went to third on a single to right-center by DeAnza. Ornelas singled to left to drive in Hernandez and move pinch-runner Sarah Walter to second.
Davis reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Ricks hit a grounder to third to forceout Ornelas, but Walter scored the game-ending run.
