Merced College baseball drops home opener
Darren Trainor tried to jump-start things in the ninth inning, launching his first home run of the season to trim Diablo Valley College’s lead to one.
That would be it for the Blue Devils’ comeback, however, as Vikings closer Andrew Merken struck out the rest of the side to earn the save in DVC’s 8-7 victory at Blue Devil Field on Saturday afternoon.
The home run was the conclusion to a nice afternoon for Trainor, who finished 2 for 5 with three RBIs. Asaka Hashimoto had three hits and scored twice leading off for Merced (1-1), and Lawrence Anderson now has five hits in two games to start has collegiate career, going 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.
Evan Estes struck out four and tossed four scoreless innings in his first start for Merced. He ran into trouble in the fifth, allowing four runs without recording an out.
Softball
Merced College 11, Folsom Lake 3 in Folsom – Jennifer Moreno doubled twice and drove in four runs, and Katelynn Geitler (2 for 4) drove in four as the Lady Devils (3-1) rolled the Falcons.
It was the completion of a doubleheader sweep as Jessica Arias struck out seven in a one-hit shutout. Marta Mitchell drove in both runs in a 2-0 victory.
Men’s basketball
UC Merced 72, La Sierra 59 in Merced – Aaron Laflin stayed hot, just missing out on a third consecutive double double with 22 points and nine rebounds as the Bobcats (8-10, 4-4 Cal Pac) got back to .500 in the conference.
Reggie Nelson had 10 points and eight assists, and Merced received 24 big points from its bench to pull away in the second half.
Sequoias 75, Merced College 52 in Visalia – Jose Gonzales had a team-high 19 points, and Anthony Nolen scored 10, but the Blue Devils (2-19, 0-8 CVC) faded in the second half.
The COS bench proved the difference, outscoring Merced’s bench 25-0.
Women’s basketball
UC Merced 74, La Sierra 60 in Merced – As she’s done so many times in the last four years, Shelby Howard put on a show for senior night. Howard scored a game-high 20 points as the Bobcats (6-14, 5-0 Cal Pac) stayed undefeated in the Cal Pac.
Mia Shannon had 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and Courtney Danna had 12 points and seven assists.
Sequoias 53, Merced College 45 in Visalia – Mele Tupouata set the tone with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lady Devils couldn’t overcome a three-point second quarter.
Tajaheray McMahan scored 11 points at Merced fell to 12-12 overall and 4-4 in the CVC.
This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Merced College baseball drops home opener."