Bears celebrate CCC title

The Merced softball team wasn't in a sharing mood and it showed.

The Bears pounded out 16 hits as they wrapped up the outright Central California Conference championship with an emphatic 17-2 win over Golden Valley on Wednesday afternoon at Joe Herb Park.

The Merced players shared some hugs and posed for pictures before taking the celebration to a local pizza parlor.

The Bears (13-2 CCC, 20-7) wanted to finish alone at the top.

"We like that," Merced coach Bart McAfee said. "It's better. The first we won when I got here we were co-champs and that was fine because it was the first time in 18 years.

"We wanted to be champions."

The Bears hit like it.

Freshman Chelsea Evans had a day to remember.

Not only did she get the win in the circle, but she also finished with eight RBIs with the help of a inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning to highlight a 3 for 3 performance at the plate.

Evans cleared the bases with her line drive to the left-field line that skipped to the fence.

"The pitch was inside and I just pulled it," Evans said. "As you go base by base you get more umph. You want to run faster."

Evans wasn't the only Merced player off to the races.

Ashley Heath-Smith finished a triple shy of the cycle. She finished 3 for 4, including a solo homer to lead off the second inning.

Hillarie Elmore also hit a solo homer to start the fourth inning. Elmore finished 3 for 3.

"We hit the ball well today," McAfee said. "We know it's not going to be like this in the playoffs, but we have 10 days to prepare for that."

Merced left no doubt early, scoring five runs in the first inning as the first four batters reached base.

Evans drove home a pair with a single. Miranda Mendoza later tripled and scored in the inning.

It was the Bears first conference championship since 2006. They'll open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs on Saturday, May 21 against Davis Sr. in Sacramento at 9 a.m.

Buhach Colony 9, Atwater 3

ATWATER — Kerstin Smith and Catrina Wilson each drove in a pair of runs to help the Thunder wrap up the regular season with a win over the Falcons.

Mari Valdez had three hits for Atwater.

The Thunder will open the playoffs at home on Tuesday against Tokay.