Toros heads to Div. VI semifinals

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune

Matilda Torres lead-off hitter Austin Meza had three hits and scored three runs in Tuesday’s upset playoff victory over Rosamond.

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The Matilda Torres Toros baseball team closed out its quarterfinal Div. VI Central Section playoff game with runs in the final three innings for a 13-5 upset victory over the Rosamond Road Runners.

The Toros, the defending Div. VI Champions, went into Tuesday’s game after a first-round victory over Lindsay. The sixth s-seeded Toros limited Rosamond to seven hits and five runs after the third-seeded Road Runners defeated McFarland, 17-2, in the first round.

Torres played at No. 2 Roosevelt in a North Yosemite League rematch on Thursday in the semifinals. Torres beat Roosevelt in the first match-up on March 20, 4-3. However, the Rough Riders won the final two meetings by a combined 23-0 score.

The Toros scored four runs in the second inning to send Rosamond scrambling. The Road Runners scored a run in the fourth, but Torres responded with three in the fifth for a 7-1 lead.

Rosamond scored four in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to one. However, the Toros closed out the game with three runs in the sixth and three in the seventh for the win.

Juan Gil tossed a complete game and overcame seven Torres errors to pick up the win. He allowed five runs, but just one run was earned. He struck out four and walked three.

The Toros banged out 10 hits and drew seven walks for the win. Austin Meza led the Toros with three hits and three runs scored from the lead-off spot.

Alex Meza had two hits, including a double, and drove in four runs with two runs scored. Matt Escoto also had two hits with two RBIs.

Trey Garcia and Alonzo Del Toro each scored two runs, and Caden Warden drove in two more runs.

Softball

The Liberty Hawks softball team fell in the quarterfinals to the Hanford West Huskies.

The sixth-seeded Hawks couldn’t come back from a five-run Hanford West second inning to upset the third-seeded Huskies on Wednesday.

Liberty took the early lead on a Leilah Uriarte single, and error on a bunt, and a squeeze bunt by Trinity Cervantes in the first inning.

The Hawks manufactured another run in the second, but the Huskies scored five runs in the bottom of the inning with a double, triple and a pair of singles to take a 5-2 lead.

Liberty added a run in the third, but the Huskies scored a run in the final three innings for the win.

Macie Webster suffered the loss in the circle, allowing 12 hits with three strikeouts.

Seven different Hawks picked up hits in the game. Uriarte and Cervantes had and RBI and scored a run.

Heading into Wednesday’s Div. V quarterfinal, the Matilda Torres Toros softball team split the season series with the Hoover Patriots with the Toros winning the second by a 14-3 score.

However, the fourth-seeded Patriots limited the Toros to just four hits in a 9-0 victory to advance to the semifinals.

Hoover banged out 17 hits, including four for extra bases in the win.

Jordyn Anaya suffered the loss in the circle, striking out three over six innings. She also hit a double as one of the Torres hits.

Jillian Villalobos, Jocelyn Rodriguez and Jocelynn Galindo were the other Toros with hits.

After winning its first playoff game since 2019 and securing its first winning season since 2014, the 11th seeded Madera South Stallions couldn’t pull off a second straight upset in a 19-10 loss to No. 3 Avenal in the Div. VI softball quarterfinals.

Avenal banged out 20 hits in the game, including seven for extra bases.

The Stallions were also limited with eight players heading to Grad Nite.

Madera South jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Avenal scored seven in the second and five in the third to take a 12-2 lead. The Stallions showed some fight with four runs in the fourth.

However, Avenal countered with two in the bottom of the inning for a 15-6 lead.

The Stallions added four more in the fifth to cut the lead to five.

But, Avenal closed the game with three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth for the win.

Madera South had eight hits, but drew 10 walks in the game. Anilee Larios and Dallas Chavira each had two hits in the game. Alana Garcia scored three runs. Mia Pompa, Larios and Lupe Reyes each scored two runs.

Natalia Gutierrez and Makayla Medley each hit bases loaded doubles for three RBIs each.