Coyotes improve to 12-0 to open season
Tyler Takeda/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Joslynn Davis swings at a pitch during Friday’s win over Armijo to lead the Coyotes to a 9-3 victory at the Sacramento Preseason Tournament of Champions. Davis led the team with a .700 batting average through the three games.
SACRAMENTO — The Madera Coyotes softball team showcased the best of the Central Valley this last week, outscoring its opponents 52-5 at the Sacramento Preseason Tournament of Champions.
The Coyotes scored six unanswered runs in a 9-3 win against Armijo-Fairfield to close out pool play undefeated. However, Saturday rains forced tournament organizers to cancel final day of the tournament, thus denying the Coyotes of a chance at the tournament title.
Madera opened the tournament with a dominating 17-2 victory over Churchill-Fallon, NV on Thursday. The Coyotes followed that with a 26-0 win over Monterey Trail-Elk Grove on Friday before the win against Armijo.
Madera will take this week off before facing its toughest stretch of the schedule with four teams from the Tri-River Athletic Conference. Madera opens its home schedule with Clovis West on March 17. They play at Clovis North on March 19 and then travel to Clovis East on March 24. The Coyotes conclude their pre-league schedule with a March 27 game at Zimmerman Field against Buchanan-Clovis Coyote ace Alexis Galvan picked up two wins and struck out 17 batters in eight innings while allowing nine hits. She didn’t walk a batter.
Joslynn Davis highlighted the Coyotes’ offense with seven hits, eight runs scored and four runs driven in. Camile Nunez drove in eight runs with a home run and two doubles. Arissa Arias hit .667 with six hits and a double. Sarah Walter also had six hits with a double, triple and six runs scored. Lead-off hitter Leilani Ricks scored six runs.
Madera 17, Churchill 2
The Coyotes were held to just one run through the first two innings. However, they struck for eight runs in the third and eight ore in the fifth for a convincing victory to open the tournament.
Churchill committed five errors in the game, which led to eight unearned runs. However, the Coyotes banged out 15 hits, including four for extra bases in the win.
Galvan tossed three innings of one-hit ball and struck out six batters.
Davis led the offense with three hits, including a bunt double. Ricks, Arias, Nunez and Walter each had two hits in the game. Nunez, Walter and Belen Gomez hit triples.
Madera opened the scoring in the top of the first. Ricks led off by reaching on a bunt and went to second on an error. Arias sacrificed her to third and Ricks scored when Eliza Nunez reached on an error.
The Coyotes sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning. Walter hit a single and triple in the inning. Nunez hit a two-run single to score Ricks and Arias. Amanda Garza hit a triple to drive in Nunez and Davis doubled home Garza.
After Davis scored on an error, Camile Nunez singled and scored on Walter’s single to left-centerfield. Ricks drew a walk and executed a double steal with Walter, who scored for a 9-0 lead.
After Churchill scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth, the Coyotes invoked the mercy rule with eight more runs in the fifth.
Davis led off with a bunt single and Sofia Perez reached on an error. Nunez tripled over the centerfielder’s head to drive in Davis and pinch-runner Aasyria Goins.
Ricks drew a walk and Arias reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Eliza Nunez flew out to drive in her sister, Camile.
After Valerie Ornelas was hit by a pitch, Ricks scored on a wild pitch and Arias also scored on a wild pitch. Erika Perez walked and Davis drew another walk.
Sofia Perez singled to left field to drive in Ornelas and Erika Perez. The left fielder misplayed the ball and it rolled to the fence while Davis scored and Perez advanced to third for the 17-2 lead and victory.
Madera 26, Monterey Trail 0
The Coyotes scored enough runs to make the football team envious with a shutout victory over Monterey Trail.
The Coyotes scored nine runs in the first, eight in the second. They added another run in the third and four more in the fourth and fifth innings.
Although the Coyotes scored 13 unearned runs, 13 runs were earned on 22 hits and six walks. The Coyotes were credited with 21 RBIs.
Walter and Camile Nunez led the Coyotes’ offense with four hits each. Nunez hit an inside-the-park home run, a triple and two singles to score four runs and drive in six. Walter scored three runs, hit a double and drove in another.
Ricks scored two runs from the lead-off spot. Arias was 2-for-3 with a run scored and three runs driven in. Kaylee Patlan also went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
Erika Perez was 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI. Ornelas was 3-for-3 with a double and an inside-the-park home run. She scored a run and drove in two. Amanda Garza scored a pair of runs.
Davis was 3-for-4 with four runs scored and also hit a double and drove in two. Belen Gomez was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBIS’ Sofia Perez was also 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Goins scored two runs in the rout.
Madera 9, Armijo 3
The Coyotes finally found a quality opponent, but closed the game with six unanswered runs for a victory to win their pool at the Sacramento TOC.
Armijo tied the score at three in the top of the third. Madera answered with two in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth before the game was called on time.
Galvan picked up the win, allowing one earned run to go with nine strikeouts.
Arias and Sofia Perez each hit doubles. Arias and Ricks were the only Coyotes with more than one hit.
Armijo took the only lead on the Coyotes in the tournament with a run in the top of the first inning on a bunt single and a triple on a ball lost in the sun. Galvan struck out the side to keep the damage at just a run.
Madera battled back to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. Ricks led off the inning with a single to the left side of the infield. Arias tried to bunt Ricks to second, but beat the throw to first for a single while Ricks advanced to third.
With Garza at the plate, Arias stole second, Ricks scored on a wild pitch and Arias advanced to third. After a groundout, Ornelas singled to left to drive in Arias for a 2-1 lead.
Armijo put runners on first and third in the second with one out, but Galvan struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
With one out in the second, Walter reached second on an error. Ricks singled up the middle and Walter raced around the bases to score for a 3-1 lead.
Armijo took advantage of a rare Madera mistake to tie the score in the third. The first two batters singled. An error loaded the bases.
Galvan got a popout, but Armijo singled and was hit by a pitch to drive in two runs to tie the score. Galvan got a flyout to Walter in left to end the inning.
Ornelas led off the third on an error. Erika Perez reached on another error and Ornelas came around to score when the first baseman threw wild to third to try to get Ornelas taking the extra base.
Davis forced out Perez at second. Two pitches later, Sofia Perez hit a ball to the right-centerfield gap to drive in Davis. Perez stopped at third for a triple. The next two batters were retired, but Madera led 5-3.
Galvan retired the first two batters in the fourth, but allowed a single. A dropped third strike allowed another baserunner, but Galvan closed out the inning with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ricks reached on an error and scored when Arias doubled down the left field line.
Elisa Nunez was hit by a pitch and Ornelas forced Arias at third. Erika Perez singled home Nunez. Davis followed with a single up the middle to drive in Ornelas and Perez for the eventual 9-3 final score.
