Grand slam earns Coyotes win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Members of the Madera Coyotes softball team greet Sofia Perez, left, as she heads to the plate after hitting a grand slam in a 6-1 victory over the Madera South Stallions on Friday.
The Madera South Stallions softball team took the early lead, but one swing of the bat changed the momentum and gave the Madera Coyotes a 6-1 victory at Madera South.
Savaanah Garcia gave the Stallions the lead in the first inning, but Sofia Perez hit a grand slam in the third inning to propel the Coyotes to the victory.
Madera freshman pitcher Alexis Galvan scattered seven hits and stranded eight runners on base to record the victory. She struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.
Erica Valdez suffered the loss for the Stallions. She allowed five runs on five hits in three innings. Taylor Valerio came in relief and allowed an unearned run over four innings.
Seven different Coyotes had hits, led by Valerie Ornelas with a triple and a single with a run scored.
Garcia had two hits for the Stallions, but five other Stallions had a hit.
With one out in the top of the first inning, Garcia lined a ball to the right-center gap for a double.
Valdez put a bunt down the first base line. Madera tried to get Garcia at third, but the ball went into left field for an error while Garcia jogged in with the first run of the game.
Mealeah Galvan followed with a single to put two on for the Stallions. Galvan settled down and got a fly out and a strike out to get out of the inning.
Galvan got into a rhythm and retired 10 straight batters before Viviana Porras got a one-out single in the fourth.
Madera got on the scoreboard in the second inning with a two-out, nobody on rally. Ornelas started the tying rally with a ball over the left fielder’s head for a triple. Mariah McMillon followed with a single up the middle to drive in Ornelas to tie the game.
In the third, Tayah Hernandez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning for the Coyotes. Erika Perez hit a ball to Garcia at short. She tried to get Hernandez, who was stealing second on the pitch, but was too late. The pivot to first to get Perez was also late.
Eliza DeAnda walked to load the bases.
With a 2-2 count, Perez sent a high pitch over the right-centerfield fence for a grand slam to give Madera a 5-1 lead.
Madera tried to keep the rally going. Joslynn Davis followed with a single. After a popout, Valerie Ornelas reached on an error. Ornelas stole second, but two groundouts ended the inning.
Madera put baserunners on every inning before adding another run in the sixth.
Neveah Montes led off the sixth with a bunt single She stole second and scored two batters later when pinch-hitter Felicity Rocha hit a soft liner into right field for a single.
Madera South put runners on base on each of the final four innings. Madera catcher Ornelas picked off two runners on the bases.
Madera South put the pressure on in the seventh. With one out, pinch-hitter Eliana Tovar was hit by a pitch. However, Margarita Rascon forced Martinez at second.
Elena Garcia singled and Valerio singled to load the bases for Savaanah Garcia.
Galvan bore down and struck out the next batter on three pitches to end the game with a 6-1 victory.
