Marysville varsity softball team falls to Rams 10-8

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) – Just like their peers on the baseball team, the Marysville High School varsity softball team fell just short of winning a section title, losing to Dixon 10-8 on Saturday, May 28 in the 2022 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Softball Playoffs Championship game played at Sacramento City College.

The Indians (20-5, 10-0 Pioneer Valley League) were given the No. 2 seed in the postseason tournament and as a top five seed, had a first round bye. Marysville’s first game was on May 19 in the quarterfinals against No. 7 Capital Christian (12-8, 9-3 Capital Athletic). The Indians were victorious in a nailbiter, winning 2-1 in nine innings.

Marysville scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. The Cougars were down to their final three outs in the top of the seventh. Capital Christian was able to stay alive and extend the game by scoring once to even the score at one and subsequently send the game into extra innings. The Indians walked off with the win after junior Jenissa Conway hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Junior Liberty Quillin had a game-high with two hits in three at bats. Senior Sophia Tyler and Conway recorded one RBI each. Senior Maya Larsen had the only other extra base hit as she had a double. Senior Riley “Andi” Duff earned the win on the mound by pitching a complete game, tossing nine innings and allowing four walks, three hits and one unearned run with six strikeouts on 101 pitches.

Just like the boys on the baseball team, the girls faced off in the semifinals of the tournament against Orestimba (19-7, 12-0 Southern Athletic) of Newman, who were the No. 3 seed. However, unlike the boys, the girls were not playing in a best of three series, rather they were playing in a winner take all game as the entire softball tournament was single elimination.

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Marysville won another close affair, this time 4-3 in regulation on May 24. Orestimba got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the top of the third inning. The Indians cut their deficit in half during the bottom of the fourth with a sacrifice fly to score one run. Marysville tied the game at two in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo homer. The Warriors retook the lead in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice bunt to score the go-ahead run.

The Indians didn’t quit, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh inning on an error to earn another walk off win, this time by a score of 4-3. Individual game statistics from both teams were unavailable as of press time.

That brings us to Saturday as Marysville took on the No. 1 seeded Dixon Rams (24-1-1, 10-0 Golden Empire) in the section title game played at Sac City. The Indians got on the board early against the Rams, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Marysville scored one run thanks to an error from Dixon senior pitcher Lexi Coyle who was attempting to throw sophomore Mikayla Haggard out at first, leading to Conway scoring from third.

The Indians scored their next run of the inning on an RBI single to left field from Tyler to score Haggard. Duff then hit an RBI single to center field to score Tyler from second and increase the lead to 3-0. Dixon scored twice in the bottom half of the first, preventing Duff from having a shutdown inning on the mound.

The Rams scored their second run of the first on an RBI triple hit into the gap in right center field from sophomore Ashley Garcia to score Coyle from first and make the score 3-2. In the bottom of the second, Dixon all but put the game away with six runs to take a commanding lead at 8-3. Sophomore Felesha LePenske knocked in two of the runs in the inning on an RBI single hit into right field at the second baseman who was unable to field it, scoring sophomores, Aemonn Rosenberger and Camryn Elliot.

Senior Brianna Humphries then hit a double down the left field line past the third baseman to score sophomore Audrey Graham and LePenske. Marysville began to mount a comeback in the next half inning in the top of the third with one run on an RBI single to right field by Duff to score Tyler. In the bottom of the fourth, senior Madi West drove the ball to the wall in left field, to score Coyle for one of the Rams’ two runs in the inning, taking a 10-4 lead into the fifth. Marysville scored once in the fifth inning as Tyler stole home to trim its deficit to five.

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In the top of the sixth, Conway, the University of Michigan commit, hit a two-run homer to left field to cut Dixon’s lead to three at 10-7. The Indians added another run in the top of the seventh on an RBI double from senior Josie Landis. However, Marysville grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game. Dixon prevails 10-8 to win its first section title in school history.

Coyle earned her 11th win of the year by pitching a complete game, tossing seven innings and allowing 12 hits, eight runs (five earned) and three walks with seven Ks on 126 pitches. Duff suffered the loss for Marysville as she pitched six innings and gave up 11 hits and 10 runs (four earned) on 77 pitches. This was the Indians first appearance in a section title game since they won it in 2000.

Just like she did on the hardwood, Humphries led her to team to the section title on the field. The senior shortstop went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. In addition to basketball and softball, Humphries helped lead the girl’s varsity water polo team to a section title in the fall as the team’s goalie, completing the section title three-peat for one school year. West and LePenske had two RBI each as well. Duff and Conway had two hits and two RBI each for the Indians.

Dixon moved on to the CIF Division IV NorCal Softball Championships and were given the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Rams shut out No. 8 Woodland Christian (25-4, 6-0 Central Valley California) 12-0 on May 31. Dixon advanced to the regional final at home two days later with a 6-1 win against No. 4 Carlmont (17-12, 9-5 Peninsula – Bay) of Belmont. The Rams host No. 2 Monterey (24-8-1, 9-3 PCAL – Mission) on Saturday at 4 P.M. in the NorCal Championship game.