With the Valley Oak League softball campaign winding down, visiting East Union put up five first-inning runs Thursday as part of a 17-hit barrage in an 8-2 win over Sierra.
“The girls stayed high-energy the whole game,” Lancers coach David Garza said. “They came out here and did what they needed to do.”
Lily Pickering went the distance in the circle for East Union (4-6 VOL, 13-10 overall), striking out 12 and allowing four hits with just one walk. She also rapped a double in the second inning, scoring Savanna Lopez.
“I have been pitching every game,” Pickering said. “It’s definitely a struggle. I have been dealing with a lot of arm pain, but I’m getting through it. I’m just trying to keep myself in the game and give my team a chance by only giving up ground balls.
“At the plate, when there are runners on base, I just know I need to get the ball on the ground. I look for my pitch and try not to get to deep into the count.”
Isabelle Reyes provided strength in the bottom of the Lancers lineup, going 3 for 3 with a two-RBI single in the big East Union first, scoring Elli Flores (2 for 4, run) and Michaela Tarr.
“When I get in the box, I am thinking contact and get on base,” Reyes said. “And if there’s a runner on, I just try to move them even if I can’t get on base.
“I have been in a slump and this game really helped me out.”
Savanna Lopez got a hit in her first three trips for the Lancers, going 3 for 4 with a double, RBI and two runs.
“I have been lacking on my self-confidence but I felt very confident today,” Lopez said. “And this game helped me feel more confident.”
Pickering kept the Timberwolves (1-10, 6-10) at bay nearly the entire game until she left one up for Maitland Kohoutek in the fourth inning. Kohoutek blasted the offering down the left-field line off the top of the fence for a two-run home run, scoring Alyssa Suarez.
“The pitcher (Pickering) is my best friend, and I was talking a little smack before the game,” Kohoutek said. “I told her not to leave it over the middle. She left it over the middle and I took it.
“I’m not going to lie, I thought it was going to be foul.”
Sierra wraps up the VOL schedule Monday afternoon at Patterson at 4. This will wrap us the freshman season for Timberwolves coach Jacob Martinez.
“This has been a tough year for me,” Martinez said. “But we have a foundation of young talent that’s going to come on for us next season. I see a bright future for this team to be able to compete in the VOL.
“Not only do we hope to compete in the VOL, but we hope to establish a new positive atmosphere in this school. The softball program has been lacking a bit in spirit. But we’re back, and with the young talent we will have next year, it’s going to be phenomenal.”
East Union hosts Central Valley of Ceres on Monday at 4 p.m.
