Coyotes celebrate 1,000th game with win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Members of the Madera Coyotes softball varsity and junior varsity teams gather around varsity head coach Judy Shaubach after she was honored for coaching her 1,000th game. She achieved the milestone in 2020 just before the pandemic hit and the school was finally able to honor her Tuesday.
The last time Madera Coyotes softball coach Judy Shaubach celebrated a milestone, pitcher Alexis Galvan threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory.
Tuesday, Madera High School was finally able to celebrate Shaubach’s 1,000th career game coaching the Coyotes and Galvan, again, threw a no-hitter, another 1-0 victory, this time over the Sanger Apaches at Zimmerman Field in County/Metro Athletic Conference action.
In 2020, Galvan tossed a no-hitter and Valerie Ornelas hit a home run for a 1-0 victory over Paso Robles in Shaubach’s 1,000th game five games into the season.
Eighteen games and a year later, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, MHS celebrated Shaubach with a number of proclamations and awards while the team celebrated in the background.
In an old-fashioned pitcher’s dual that lasted an hour-and-a-half, Galvan came out victorious with her second-career no-hitter. She struck out six, but walked four.
Sanger’s Layla Torres kept the Coyotes off balance for five innings. She struck out five and allowed just two hits — a double to Brianah Hamilton and a single by Sarah Walter — in the loss.
With the celebration looming in the background of a scoreless game, Sanger almost put a run across in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
In the fourth, a walk, stolen base and error put a runner on third with one out. However, Galvan struck out Sanger’s No. 3 and No. 4 hitters to get out of the inning.
In the fifth, Galvan allowed a one-out walk. The next batter hit a blooper to left in front of left fielder Walter and behind shortstop Kailea Ricks. Both players called for it and both players let the other one get it, but neither player caught it. Walter was charged for the error and Sanger had runners at first and second.
Galvan struck out the next batter and got the No. 9 batter to line out to Kaylee Patlan at first.
In the sixth, Galvan ran into some trouble thanks to questionable ball-strike calls from the umpire. She walked the first two batters of the inning.
With a pinch-hitter for the No. 3 batter, Galvan got a grounder to Erika Perez at third. She turned and threw to Ricks covering third for the forceout.
With another pinch-hitter at the plate for the No. 4 batter, Sanger was caught trying to steal third by catcher Eliza Nunez. Galvan then induced a sharp grounder back to her. She got her glove on the ball and it deflected to Lealani Ricks at second, who threw to first to get out of the inning unscathed to protect a 1-0 lead.
Madera got on board the old fashioned way — hustle and situational hitting. Hamilton led off the inning with a blooper to left-center. She hustled out of the box and beat the tag into second for a double. Ricks walked on four pitches.
Galvan helped herself out with a sacrifice to move Hamilton and Ricks 60 feet.
Arissa Arias hit a grounder to third. The third baseman looked Hamilton back, but Hamilton broke for the plate when the throw to first beat Arias.
Hamilton slid safely across the plate before the return throw for the first only run of the game.
In the seventh, Galvan struck out the first batter. She got a fly out to right to Arias and a groundout to Kailea Ricks to end the game.
