Le Grand High softball extends winning streak to 17, wins first section title since 2011
The recipe for success for the Le Grand High softball team this year has been stellar pitching, contributions at the plate from everyone up and down the order and strong defense.
It proved to be the winning combination on the big stage as the No. 2 seeded Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 17 in a row with a 5-2 victory over top-seeded Stone Ridge Christian in a battle of two Merced County teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game at Cosumnes River College on Saturday afternoon.
It was Le Grand’s first softball blue banner since 2011 and the seventh title in the program’s history.
“This is a unique group because there is a lot of family, people related, sisters, cousins,” said Le Grand coach Gia Priddell. “You know sisters don’t get a long with sisters because they are not doing this, but they really pulled together as one and it showed.”
The Bulldogs (23-2-2) have two sets of sisters on the team with senior Nadia Avila and freshman Ava Avila and twins Haiden and Maisen Priddell.
The Avila sisters teamed up in the circle to stifle a Stone Ridge Christian offense that had scored 22 runs in its two playoff wins.
Ava Avila pitched the first six innings, holding the Knights to just two first-inning runs. She only allowed two hits in her final six innings.
Nadia Avila came in to pitching the final inning, retiring SRC in order to pick up the save and secure the section championship.
“I’m not going to lie I was really nervous,” Nadia Avila said. “I just tried to tell myself to do what I’ve been doing since I was 10 years old.”
Ava Avila gave up just two hits and a walk after surrendering the two runs in the first, showing tremendous poise as a freshman starting a big game.
“I felt if I could just get through that inning and then shut it off,” Ava Avila said. “We had the rest of the game left. We had so many innings to go.”
The difference in the game was Le Grand’s ability to put pressure on the Knights from up and down their batting order.
The Knights jumped out early when Mackenzie Silva’s bases-loaded single plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
However, the Bulldogs answered with the bottom of their order starting the rally.
Makayla Leyva walked to start the second and was sacrificed to second. Le Grand’s No. 9 hitter Aaliayah Ceja then doubled her in to cut the lead to 2-1. After an error helped the Bulldogs tie the game, Maisen Priddell delivered a two-out, RBI-single to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.
Le Grand was able to scrape out nine hits against Stone Ridge Christian ace Cali Cole, who battled all game, striking out 10 hitters. Cole also had three of the Knights’ five hits on offense.
The Bulldogs were able to tack on single runs in the fourth inning and the seventh inning to extend the lead to 5-2.
“My No. 9 batter could be our sparkplug if she’s coming, same if it’s my No. 5 hitter,” Gia Priddell said. “I always say our bottom can carry the top. We scored those first few runs with our bottom of our lineup coming through and rolling it over to the top of our order. We have solid hitters one through nine, good bunters and three left-handed hitters.”
Le Grand’s season will continue with the Northern California Regional playoffs, which get underway in two weeks. The Bulldogs will find out who they play when the matchups are released on Sunday, May 26th.
