Coyotes close out CMAC with win over Stallions
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Madera’s Taylor Brooks appears to drag her hand across home plate during Madera’s win over Madera South. However, the umpire saw differently and called her out on the play.
With the playoffs looming for both teams, the Madera Coyotes softball team made quick work of the Madera South Stallions in a 10-0 victory at Zimmerman Field.
The Coyotes banged out 10 hits and took advantage of their speed to pick up another win over the Stallions on Thursday.
The Coyotes earned the No. 5 seed in the Div. I softball playoffs and hosts Clovis North today at 4:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Stallions earned a No. 7 seed in the Div. IV playoffs and host No. 10 Hoover-Fresno today.
Even with team-leading hitter Tayah Hernandez having a rare off day, the rest of the offense picked her up. Taylor Brooks, Sofia Perez and Mikayla Ruiz each had two hits. Hollee Brown and Joslynn Davis scored two runs and five different players drove in runs.
Although she went 0-for-3, Hernandez finished the County/Metro Athletic Conference season with a school-best .517 batting average with 10 RBIs, 11 runs scored and four doubles. She leads five teammates — Sofia Perez (.484), Davis (.478), Ruiz (.478), Valerie Ornelas (.444), and Brooks (.433) — that batted better than .400 in league play. Madea recorded a .389 batting average and scored almost 97 runs (9.7 runs per game).
Madera pitcher Kaylee Dawson limited the Stallions to just two hits to pick up her 17th win of the season. A.J. Martinez allowed 10 runs, but just two were earned for Madera South.
After four of the first six batters poppoed out in the first two innings, the Coyotes started putting the ball on the ground and scored nine runs in the third.
Haley Perez led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. Brown put down a bunt single up the third base line. Ruiz followed with another bunt single to load the bases.
Brooks singled up the middle to drive in pinch-runner Davis. Camile DeAnda reached on an error as both Brown and Ruiz scored to open a 3-0 lead.
Hernandez flied out to right field and Brooks tried to score. She slid across home plate and celebrated scoring a run. However, the umpire ruled she didn’t touch the plate and Brooks was called out.
Ornelas kept the rally going with a single to drive in DeAnda. Sofia Perez followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Ornelas. Neveah Montes reached on an error and Haley Perez singled to drive in Sofia Perez.
Brown reached on another error to drive in Montes. Ruiz reached on another bunt single to drive in pinch-runner Davis while Brown scored on an error for a 9-0 lead after Madera sent 12 batters to the plate.
The Coyotes invoked the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brooks reached on a bunt single and stole second when nobody was covering the bag. DeAnda reached on another bunt single and Brooks scored when the throw to first went into right field for a 10-0 lead.
Dawson allowed a single to Aleecia Rosel and another batter reached on an error in the seventh. She got a line drive to Sofia Perez at third and she touched first for the game-ending double play after five innings. It was Madera’s third double play of the game.
