Los Banos softball looking part of title contender
The Los Banos High School softball team has more than secured its place in the Western Athletic Conference title hunt, and coach Dustin Caropreso wants his squad to start acting like it.
Included on the list of behaviors Caropreso hopes to see down the stretch is convincingly taking care of business against teams the Tigers feel they should beat.
Los Banos answered that call Monday, fighting through pregame distractions to rout Central Valley 14-3 in six innings.
“I was pleased with what I saw from the kids (Monday),” Caropreso said. “Our bus was late, so it threw off our warmups, but the kids fought through it and did what they had to do.
“Coming on the road and showing up late, you never know what you’re going to get when they step off of the bus. The girls focused up and got a good win going into Thursday.”
The Tigers (11-12, 6-2 WAC) will face the two teams ahead of them in the standings in their next two contests: Ceres (7-1) on Thursday and Pacheco (8-1) on April 28.
Caropreso likes his team’s chances if he can get similar production from the bottom of the lineup as he saw Monday.
After two weeks of barely being able to field an able-bodied team, the Tigers’ starting unit is healthy. Los Banos’ eight-nine hitters, Kiara Azevedo and Bri Cascia, showed the kind of depth the healthy lineup possesses by going 5 for 7 with four runs and six RBIs.
The pair helped spark Los Banos’ seven-run second inning, each with a run-scoring single, to help ignite the rally. The Tigers sent 10 hitters to the plate in the inning, capping the rally with a Brianna Flores two-run home run.
“We’re finally healthy, and it’s exciting,” Cascia said. “When we play as a whole, we’re capable of bringing home the championship.
“Coach has been on us to score early and not let these kinds of teams be in the game. We did a pretty good job (Monday).”
The second inning produced all the offense Flores would need. The senior retired the first nine Central Valley (4-13, 0-9) hitters and allowed just two hits in five innings. Her only other blemish came on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, when Central Valley scored two runs.
The Hawks’ rally only prolonged the inevitable. The Tigers put away the game with four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth.
Merced 10, Buhach Colony 0 in Merced – There may not be a better battery in Merced County than Madilyn Nickles and Megan Kravec. The Bears (16-5, 9-1 Central California Conference) duo showed why again Monday.
Nickles struck out 10 en route to her fifth no-hitter of the season. Kravec went 2 for 3 to lead an 11-hit attack, belting her team-high fifth homer and driving in four runs in a victory over the Thunder (3-18, 1-9).
Missy Lalisan, Rheanne Lewis and Katelynn Gietler each had two hits.
Sun-Star staff writer Sean Lynch can be reached at (209) 385-2476 or slynch@
This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Los Banos softball looking part of title contender."