Red-hot Mitchell gives Merced College walk-off softball win

Marta Mitchell is enjoying a stretch at the plate that few ever get to experience.

The Merced College freshman has been an RBI machine since the middle of March, driving in 27 in the She-Devils’ last 19 games.

So there was no one coach Suzanne McGhee would rather have had batting with two out in the bottom of the seventh and a pivotal Central Valley Conference game against Reedley on the line. Mitchell made it 28 RBIs in 20 games by jumping on the first pitch she saw and lining it to right-center. Shelbee Ward beat the throw home with a headfirst slide and Merced walked off with a 2-1 victory Tuesday.

The She-Devils (24-11, 12-4 CVC) clinched the season series over Reedley (23-15, 13-3) and pulled within one game of the Tigers for second place with two games to play. Reedley’s final two games are against first-place Fresno City (32-3, 16-0), giving Merced an excellent opportunity to leapfrog the Tigers with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Sequoias on Thursday.

“I was very comfortable being up there in the big moment,” Mitchell said. “It helped that the girls in front of me did a great job getting on and creating the opportunity. I was looking to be aggressive. I’d noticed in my other at-bats that the best pitch they were throwing me was the first one.

“I was going to jump on the first pitch I liked.”

The game was played with a playoff-like intensity and showcased the kind of resiliency a young Merced squad will need to be successful in the postseason.

The She-Devils used a throwing error to score the game’s first run in the first inning, but McGhee’s squad couldn’t expand the lead.

For most of the afternoon, Merced starting pitcher Brianna Lopez (3 for 3) made it look as if the one run would be enough. The freshman allowed just two runners in the first five innings and didn’t yield a hit until a one-out double in the sixth and matched a career high with eight strikeouts.

“I wasn’t surprised to get the start,” Lopez said. “I really struggled with my command the first time we played Reedley, so I think coach knew they’d be shocked that I can actually pitch.

“I think the main thing we need to learn is how to jump on teams early. We could have done that today, and it never would have had to come down to our final at-bat.”

The Tigers finally got to Lopez in the sixth. Jordan Matheney started the rally with a one-out double, and Mason Jenkins singled her in with two outs to tie it.

The Devils answered with a two-out rally in the seventh.

Ward drew a walk, and Arisa Nishibe reached when her hard-hit ground ball to second wasn’t fielded. Merced made the Tigers pay for the miscue as Mitchell (2 for 4) drilled a ball to right to end it.

“I think we definitely came in ready to go but then eased up a little bit in the later innings,” McGhee said. “Our pitcher was throwing well, and I think we got a little complacent, not realizing they were one swing away from being back in it. That’s obviously what happened, but I was pleased with how they refocused.

“It’s nice having a hitter like Marta up in that situation. Someone who is mentally sound in the at-bat and goes up there looking for her pitch.

“I told them it’s a great win, but now we have to refocus and get ready for COS. We’ve given ourselves the opportunity to be second. Now we have to finish it.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Red-hot Mitchell gives Merced College walk-off softball win."