Coyote softball finishes sweep of Tigers
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera Coyotes senior Tayah Hernandez (1) is congratulated by Kaylee Patlan, left, and Sofia Perez after she hit an inside-the-park home run in a 13-0 victory Friday over the Edison Tigers.
After not playing a game in two weeks, Madera Coyotes softball head coach Judy Shaubach had reason to worry about playing the Edison Fresno Tigers last week at Zimmerman Field.
The Coyotes previously defeated the Tigers 24-2 in their first County/Metro Athletic Conference match-up and scored in every inning for a 13-0 five-inning victory Friday to back freshman Alexis Galvan’s first high school perfect game Friday afternoon.
Galvan struck out 10 of the 15 batters she faced and didn’t allow a ball to reach the outfield. Galvan has stepped into the ace role on the staff behind the tutelage of Coyotes legend Nicole Zenger-Guerra.
Galvan has a 2.60 ERA over 34 2/3 innings in the CMAC. She has 37 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Sofia Perez continued her assault on CMAC pitching with three hits with a run and an RBI. She is batting .500 in the CMAC with nine runs scored and a team-leading 11 RBIs.
Tayah Hernandez hit an inside-the-park home run and has a team-leading 12 runs scored in the CMAC.
Erika Perez scored two runs with a hit and an RBI. She has 10 runs scored in the CMAC.
All nine batters in the Coyotes’ lineup recorded a hit and drove in a run and eight of the nine scored a run.
The Coyotes started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Hernandez started off the rally with a four-pitch walk. She stole second and third and came in to score on an Erika Perez groundout.
After a popout, Sofia Perez started another rally with a soft liner over third. Joslynn Davis drew a walk.
Valerie Ornelas doubled down the left field line to drive in Perez and Davis for a 3-0 lead.
Arissa Arias, in her first varsity at-bat singled up the middle to drive in Ornelas for her first varsity RBI and give Madera a 4-0 lead.
The Coyotes started another two out, nobody on rally in the second when Erika Perez reached on an error and advanced to second. She went to third on a wild pitch and scored on another to Eliza DeAnda for a 5-0 lead.
Madera sent the game into mercy game territory with seven runs in the third inning.
Sofia Perez started the rally with a bloop single to right. After pinch-runner Ari Ochoa went to second on a wild pitch, Davis singled to center to drive in Ochoa while Davis advanced to second on an error.
Ornelas flew out to deep right-center, but it was deep enough for Davis to beat the Edison relay throws to the plate to score from second.
With the bases cleared, Arias started another rally by getting hit by a full-count pitch. She stole second and went to third on a Felicity Rocha single.
Neveah Montes reached on a bunt single and Arias came in to score. With Hernandez at the plate, Montes was thrown out between first and second while Rocha scored for a 9-0 lead.
Heranndez kept the momentum going with a sinking liner to right field. The ball got past the Tigers’ right fielder and rolled to the fence. Hernandez sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Erika Perez hit a bad-hop single past the second baseman. Eliza DeAnda doubled off the centerfield fence to drive in Perez. Sofia Perez then lined a single to right to drive in DeAnda for a 12-0 lead.
Madera added another run in the bottom of the fourth. Ornelas started the rally with a walk. After Ornelas went to second on a wild pitch, Kaylee Patlan put down a bunt while Ornelas advanced to third.
Rocha flew out to left, but it was deep enough for Ornelas to score for a 13-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Galvan was mowing down Edison batters. She truck out two batters in three of the five inning and struck out the side in the third inning.
She struck out the first batter in the top of the fifth. She then lunged forward to catch a short popup in front of the circle. Galvan got the next batter to ground out to DeAnda at second to end the game by mercy rule.
Madera closes the final week of the season with an away game Monday at San Joaquin Memorial and followed with a home game against Madera South on Tuesday before closing the regular season Thursday at Zimmerman Field against Sanger.
