Champs again: Central Catholic softball tops Manteca for outright VOL title
For the fourth time in the past four full seasons, the Central Catholic softball team sits atop the Valley Oak League standings.
The Raiders finished 2022 and 2024 as co-champs, sharing the title with Oakdale, and they took the crown outright in 2023 with a 10-0 record.
Tuesday, behind a strong offensive outing and a dominant pitching performance from a freshman, the Raiders secured another outright league championship with an 8-0 road win over Manteca.
“It’s a goal every year to be in this position,” head coach Sam Nichols said. “We got to checkmark one on the schedule, but we’re definitely not satisfied at all. We grind year round in the weight room and on the field for these moments.”
The Raiders’ offense came alive early as Arizona State signee Jazmarie Roberts sent a two-out double to center field in the top of the first inning. Sacramento State commit Madie Harrison walked to put runners on first and second but they could not bring either home.
The Raiders opened up the game in the second inning, scoring six runs in the frame. Carsyn Lomeli-Garcia reached on an error to lead off the inning, Amaya Gustavis walked and Paige Perry singled to load the bases for the top of the Raiders’ order. UNLV signee Taryn Calderon singled home Lomeli, and Gustavis scored on a Samantha Nichols sacrifice fly. In the next at bat, Roberts reached on an error to put runners on second and third.
Harrison, with a 1-2 count and a 3-0 lead, sent a ball over the center-field fence for a three-run shot, doubling the Raiders’ lead with just one swing. It was her first of two home runs on the day. Her second came in the top of the seventh inning, a two-run shot to give the Raiders an 8-0 lead. Harrison drove in a game-high five runs and Nichols and Calderon each added an RBI.
It is the second time in the last five league games that Harrison has homered twice.
“It meant a lot to not only me but our team,” Harrison said of the two-home run performance. “We’ve worked so hard this year. … The home runs were big, but I’m just really proud of how we were able to just grind that whole (second) inning and that whole game.”
Whenever the Raiders’ offense needed a jolt, Roberts came through with a hit. She had a first-inning double and when the Raiders did not get a hit from the third through sixth innings, she hit a two-out triple in the top of the seventh and came around to score on the Harrison home run.
“It felt like we needed to get it going,” Roberts said. “It felt like that triple helped get us back into the game. At the plate, I was just working on staying through the ball and taking it where it was pitched.”
Freshman Braelyn Avila was great in the circle and combined with the Raiders’ defense to allow just one hit against the second-place team in the league. Avila earned her seventh win and allowed less than five hits in a complete game effort for the second time this season.
“She was poised. I’m happy for her,” Nichols said. “She’s mentally tough, she’s a grinder. She fits into our team and our system. She’s at all the optional practices, she’s throwing bullpens every day.”
Central Catholic has one VOL game left on the schedule, an April 29 home contest against Patterson. Before that, they will play in the NorCal Classic in Tracy, one of the top Northern California softball events, this week.
The Raiders now have won 13 straight games. The winning streak has included five shutouts and six wins by 10 or more runs. Their only scare came in an extra-innings league win over Mountain House on March 13.
Because they won the VOL, a Division III league, the Raiders will play in the D-III Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. They are currently ranked the top team in D-IV by MaxPreps and will likely be a top three seed in the D-III bracket when the section releases playoff pairings after the regular season. They are also ranked No. 23 in California by MaxPreps.
Softball
Beyer 3, Gregori 1: Jordyn Lish struck out eight batters as Beyer took down Gregori in a nonleague contest. The Patriots scored twice in the first and added an insurance run in the fourth to win their 18th game this season. Angela Stoner had three of Gregori’s hits with one triple. Nevah Cates drove in the Jaguars’ only run.
East Union 9, Patterson 2: After finishing the first inning tied 1-1, the Tigers gave up four runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth. Elizabeth Zavala drove in a run with a home run and Desirrei Sorci drove in the Tigers’ other run as part of a 3-for-3 outing.
Big Valley Christian 11, Riverbank 0: Madyx Mitchell pitched a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and Morgan Merzon hit a home run as Big Valley took down Riverbank in a MLL matchup. Merzon, Cecily Fontana and Karis Thiessen each drove in two runs and Mitchell and Kailey Rivera drove in a run apiece. Rivera went 3-for-3 on the day with a double.
Baseball
Modesto 3, Delhi 1: Giovanni Lunardi drove in two runs as part of a three-run second inning to lead the Panthers to a win over Delhi. He also handled pitching duties, going the full seven innings and earning the win.
Enochs 12, Livingston 1: Caden Reeve went 4-for-4, scored two runs and had a triple to help lead the Eagles to a win over Livingston. Brandon Delgado drove in a team-high two runs and five others finished with one RBI in the win.
Hughson 4, Buhach Colony 0: The Huskies scored twice in the third and twice in the seventh to earn a win in the opening day of the Mark Dickens Spring Break Tournament at Oakdale. Andrew Fisher had a game-high three hits and Beau Blake added a pair of hits with a double.
Downey 5, Ceres 0: Downey scored three runs in the second inning and added two more in the third to secure the win. Knights pitchers allowed just two hits and pitched a shutout
Central Valley 5, Los Banos 3: Central Valley won its seventh straight game on the opening day of the Mark Dickens Spring Break Tournament, beating Los Banos in seven innings. The Hawks scored all of their runs in the middle innings, scoring twice in the third and fifth and once in the fourth.
Davis 12, Modesto Christian 4: Jordan Reece had a team-high three RBI and Lando McCay and Lukas Silva drove in a pair of runs each as Davis finished with its second highest scoring output this season. The Spartans have won five straight games.
Oakdale 11, Los Banos 0: Oakdale won its first game in its own Mark Dickens Spring Break Tournament. Eric Velazquez hit a home run and drove in three RBI as part of a 2-for-2 game. Four other Mustangs finished with at least one RBI and Ayden Ardis earned the start, pitching all four innings and giving up three hits.
Patterson 5, Gregori 2: The Tigers and Jaguars took a break from league play to play in a tournament at Atwater Memorial Park. Patterson beat Gregori on Day 2 behind two hits from Noah Cozart and Max Medina and a pair of RBI from Jimmy Chagoya. A four-run fourth inning helped the Tigers pull away.
Big Valley Christian 8, Riverbank 4: In MLL action, Noah Stel collected two hits and three RBI and Jackson Howell recorded a double to lead the Lions to their second league win. For the Bruins, Xavier Lopez hit a home run and a pair of players recorded doubles.
Beyer 8, Orland 5: Beyer scored three runs in the first inning and added three more in the fifth and two in the sixth to pick up a win on the opening day of the Dick Windemuth Easter Tournament.
