Coyotes stumble in CMAC opener
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera’s Mariah McMillon reaches for a drag bunt single during Tuesday’s loss to Bullard. McMillon had two hits in the game.
Madera Coyotes softball head coach Judy Shaubach knew her team had to play almost the perfect game to defeat the Bullard-Fresno Knights in the County/Metro Athletic Conference opener.
Unfortunately, the Coyotes weren’t able to do that. They committed five errors in an 11-3 loss to the Knights on Tuesday.
Freshman starter Alexis Galvan allowed seven runs, four earned, in three innings. She struck out two, but walked three and allowed eight hits.
The Coyotes didn’t go down quietly, however. Madera pounded out 10 hits in the game and only went down in order in one inning.
Tayah Hernandez, Eliza DeAnda, Sofia Perez and Mariah McMillon each had two hits. Perez drove in two runs and Hernandez scored two runs.
The Knights scored three runs in the top of the first inning to put the Coyotes in an early hole. The Knights capitalized on three walks, a dropped popup and a single to take a 3-0 lead.
Madera battled back in the bottom of the inning. Erika Perez led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. After two flyouts, her sister, Sofia, singled to right to drive her in to cut the lead to two.
Bullard threatened in the second. With one out, Bullard got back-to-back singles. The next batter popped a ball up in the infield to draw an infield fly. However, the ball was dropped and Bullard tried to advance. Madera threw to third and the umpire ruled the runner out despite the runner beating the throw and not getting tagged. The runner then headed to the dugout. The umpires gathered and ruled the batter was out on the infield fly rule and the runner at third was out because she left the baseline even though it was the umpire’s mistake.
Bullard rebounded to score four runs on five hits in the third and add three more runs on four hits in the fourth to jump out to a 10-1 lead.
Madera left runners in scoring position with one out in the second, third and fourth innings before breaking through in the fifth.
Hernandez split the gap in left-center for a double. After a popout, Sofia Perez singled to left to drive in Hernandez. Perez took second on a throw. Valerie Ornelas followed with a single, but pinch-runner Ari Ochoa was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Bullard hit a solo home run in the seventh, but Madera answered in the bottom of the inning.
With two outs, Hernandez singled. DeAnda then tripled off the right-centerfield wall to drive in Hernandez. However, DeAnda was stranded at third after a fly out ended the game.
