Le Grand High softball has 17-game winning streak snapped in NorCal Playoff loss
Defensive miscues and the inability to come up with the big hit at the right time ultimately doomed the Le Grand High softball team on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs’ 17-game winning streak and their season came to an end with a 4-1 loss to No. 2 seed St. Helena in the NorCal Regional Division IV playoffs.
“We made four errors in the first inning,” said Le Grand coach Gia Priddell. “I don’t know what it was. We made more errors in a game than we made all season. That’s what killed us.”
The Bulldogs (23-3-2) were dealt on tough hand when the CIF released the NorCal Regional Playoff matchups.
Despite winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship, Le Grand was bumped up to Division IV for the NorCal playoffs and seeded No. 7 based off of the competitive equity model the CIF uses to seed the playoffs.
Instead of a high seed and home game in Division VI, the Bulldogs were sent packing for a three-hour road trip. Expecting a home game, Priddell had arranged for the Bulldogs to play at Merced College.
“It’s a little disappointing because you look at Big Valley Christian, which won a Division VII championship, was the No. 1 seed in Division VII,” Priddell said. “We win Division VI and we end up a seven seed in Division IV. We had a three-hour trip today. If we would have won we would have been playing near the Oregon border for our next game. That’s six hours north from where we were today.”
A 10-day layoff from the Bulldogs’ last game in the section title game on May 18 also didn’t help.
The rust showed on defense with the Bulldogs’ surrendering three unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning to fall behind 3-1 to the Saints (22-4).
Le Grand took the early lead with a run in the top of the first inning against St. Helena pitcher Tahlia Smith.
Haiden Priddell led off with a double and came around to score on a single by Elisa Angel.
Haiden Priddell started in the circle for the Bulldogs and pitched four innings. Ava Avila pitched the final two innings. The duo combined to give up the four unearned runs on four hits.
The Bulldogs had opportunities on offense but stranded runners on base.
“We were looking for that one key hit and we just couldn’t get it,” said Gia Priddell.
Smith gave up just the first-inning run on four hits and struck out five to pick up the win.
It was a special season for the Bulldogs, which included a perfect run through the Southern League and the seventh section title in the program’s history.
“It was a spectacular year,” Gia Priddell said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better year, we won a section championship. I told the girls this was a bonus to come to this game.”
