The Merced High softball team knows how to celebrate and have fun. After the Bears score runs there is chest bumping, dancing and it’s basically a party in the dugout. That’s the vibe Merced coach Jennifer Moreno wants to create to keep her team loose. 

 

The Bears had plenty to celebrate on Thursday as they rolled to a 15-1 victory over Buhach Colony in a battle of two teams who came in tied atop the Central California Conference at 3-0. Merced cranked out 16 hits, including home runs by Macy Saucedo and Madi Cabral during a 10-run fourth inning.

“There’s a lot of chest bumps going on, a lot of dancing, they get all crazy with the home runs,” said Moreno, whose team improved to 13-3 overall and 4-0 in the CCC. “It’s a good time. When they play loose, they have fun and you see how well they play. Even if there is a mistake, if they’re loose, they’ll get back on it and it’s a lot freer out there. They’re just having fun, they’re playing free and it’s just a party that they have going on.”

 

The Bears had already built a 5-1 lead with timely hitting and executing some small ball in the early innings. Merced then provided the knockout blow in the fourth inning, sending 14 hitters to the plate and collecting 11 hits and 10 runs. The big blows were a two-run homer by Saucedo and a three-run blast by Cabral.

It was Saucedo’s first home run of the season. “I knew it had a chance,” said Saucedo, who scored three runs and collected four RBIs. “It feels so good to know I can help my team out and contribute, especially as a freshman.”

 

Seven different Merced players scored runs and eight different Bears recorded at least one hit during the 10-run rally. Antonia LeJarde and Cabral both had two hits and scored two runs during the fourth inning.” It’s just so hyped in the dugout, the energy is so good,” Saucedo said. “When you see someone get a hit in front of you, you just want to get a hit too and contribute.”

Cabral finished with three hits and four RBIs. Emma Ramirez, Bree Pimentel, Saucedo, Ava Waldron and Annalise Ramirez all had two hits for the Bears. Annalise Ramirez also settled in after giving up a solo home run to Buhach Colony’s Jasmine Resendez in the first inning to shut the Thunder down the rest of the way. It was Resendez’s third home run this season. 

 

The win capped an important week for the Bears with victories over Atwater and Buhach Colony, who both came into the week undefeated in CCC play. “It was a big week with two good teams,” Saucedo said. “Atwater is definitely one of the best teams we’re going to face. It just felt good to come out with two victories this week.”

Atwater 13, Golden Valley 1 – The Falcons bounced back from Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Merced with 11 hits and 13 runs against the Cougars. Riley Leonardo led the way with three hits, including a solo home run. Madi Hiler went 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple, three runs and two RBIs as she filled out the box score. Audrina Granados added two hits and two runs scored for Atwater (10-6 overall and 3-1 CCC).

 

Los Banos 8, El Capitan 1 – The Tigers pounded out 11 hits to hand the Gauchos a loss. Maliyah Salas led Los Banos with two hits, including a home run and three RBIs. Emma Derichsweiler led El Capitan with a hit and an RBI.

 

Livingston 12, Pacheco 5 – Bella Chavez and Mariah Blaine both drove in a pair of runs to help the Wolves pick up a win over the Panthers. Alex Rios went 3-for-3 with two runs scored for Livingston. 

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.