The Madera National Little League 10-12-year-old All-Star team picked up two victories to open the Valley Section Softball Tournament over the weekend at Town and Country Park, but couldn’t get past Greenfield-Bakersfield.
Madera National opened the tournament with a 16-6 victory over Kaweah-Visalia, but lost an 11-4 decision to Greenfield on Saturday.
In the loser’s bracket game on Sunday, Madera National advanced to the championship game with a 19-5 win over Turlock. However, Greenfield bested Madera National, again, 12-2 to win the Valley Section championship.
Madera National opened the tournament with a 16-6, five-inning victory over Kaweah. They ended the game with a six-run fifth inning to invoke the 10-run mercy rule.
Ariana Castro and Marisa Rincon led the 17 hit attack for Madera National with three hits and two RBIs each. Castro also scored three runs.
Emma Frausto had a pair of hits, including a double and scored three runs. Autumn Dunlop, Laila Zambrano and Jayleen Gutknecht also had two hits. Dunlop and Zambrano scored two runs each and Gutknecht hit a triple.
Frausto also picked up the win on the mound. She allowed six runs, three earned, with four hits, six strikeouts and five walks. Katie Bandy tossed the final two innings and didn’t allow a hit or a run with five strikeouts.
Greenfield scored nine runs in the first inning against Madera National. However, of the nine runs, just one was earned while Madera National committed six errors in the inning.
The rest of the way, Gutknecht kept Greenfield at bay, allowing two runs over the next 3 1/3 innings. Bandy got the final two outs for Madera National.
Castro led the six-hit attack with two singles. Emma Frausto hit a double, scored two runs and drove in another.
Dunlop, Aguirre and Gutknecht each had singles and Alejandra Bermudez scored a run.
Over the final five innings, the two teams played even softball with both teams scoring two runs. It was the nine run first that Madera National couldn’t overcome.