Tracy Press

 
Tracy holds on through Sierra’s late push

Tracy's Nikki Moreno batted in four runs to clear the way for the Tracy softball team's 7-0 win over Los Banos on Saturday. Photo by Bob Brownne/Tracy Press.

Morgan Hayes was happy enough with the first six innings of the Tracy softball team’s 4-2 win against Sierra on Monday at the Tracy Sports Complex.

The Lady Bulldogs’ junior pitcher held the Sierra Timberwolves to two hits and no runs. But then, with Tracy in the lead, 4-0, the Sierra batters started to hit big in the top of the seventh.

Sierra’s catcher Jenna Morgan and second baseman Heather Scharmann saw pitches they liked and blasted them though the gap between right and center fields, each for a home run.

Another runner got on base when she was hit by a pitch, and the next got an infield single.

“It’s kind of frustrating, but you have to work through it,” Hayes said.

That’s just what she did as she struck out the next two batters. Tracy’s infielders ended the game on a grounder to shortstop Brittany Williams, who got the ball to Katie Stutz at third base for the force out.

Sierra coach Nick Olmo said that even if it wasn’t enough to take the win, he was glad to see his power hitters connect in their first game of the season.

“If it was going to happen, it was going to happen with those girls,” he said.

Tracy coach Greg Smith said he felt his team had a comfortable lead by then, though he would have liked to see the score reflect the number of Bulldogs who got on base on seven hits and five walks. Tracy left eight runners on base during the game.

“Next time, we need to run the bases a little better,” Smith said.

Tracy scored in the second inning after Stephanie Leles and Katie Stutz got on base on walks and Melissa Turney loaded the bases by way of an infield error. Eleni Leles drove in one on a left-field single, and Hayes batted in another.

Stutz led off the bottom of the sixth with a double just over the glove of the Sierra center fielder.

Turney followed with a base hit into center field, and Tracy had runners on all bases after Eleni Leles was hit by a pitch. Hayes drove in another, and Sierra pitcher Breann McGraw walked in a run.

Aside from the two home runs and a few outfield fly balls, Sierra batters rarely got the ball past the Tracy infield. Sierra’s Monica Morado drove one between third and shortstop in the top of the sixth, but she didn’t stay on base long. The next batter, Emily Silvia, hit a grounder right to Tracy second baseman Stephanie Leles, who tagged Silvia and threw the ball to first for a quick double play.

(JV) Sierra 10, Tracy 6
Tracy rallied in the fifth with hits by Rebecca Titus, Heather Haack and Jacqueline Boots to take a 6-3 lead over Sierra, but it didn’t last long. Sierra responded with two in the fifth and four runs in the fourth, including a drive to left-center field by Sierra’s Gabby Hawkins, who drove in two runs that inning but was thrown out at third. Hawkins earlier had driven in three runs, including two on a home run to deep left-center field.

(F) Tracy 13, Sierra 0
Tracy’s freshman batters came out scoring in their first game of the season Monday. Megan Young hit a home run in her first at-bat, Marisa Harman hit a triple and Jasmine Guevara hit a double to start the game. Pitcher Taylor Martinez struck out 13 Sierra batters to leave the Timberwolves scoreless.

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