Merced softball survives scare in first round of Division 2 playoffs
The Merced High softball team survived a close call in its Sac-Joaquin Division 2 opening-round matchup against Lodi on Wednesday.
The Bears, undefeated champions of the Central California Conference and seeded sixth in the tournament, rallied to beat 11th-seeded Lodi 6-5 at Merced High.
Merced will play at third-seeded Rocklin in a quarterfinal matchup Friday at 4 p.m.
The Bears took a 3-0 lead with a three-run outburst in the bottom of the third inning, but the Flames responded with a three-run fifth inning to take a 5-4 lead.
Merced came right back in the bottom of the fifth, though, scoring two runs to lead 6-5.
The game was full of defensive mistakes, with Lodi committing five errors and Merced committing six.
Bears pitcher Annalise Ramirez allowed four hits and three walks. She struck out seven. None of Lodi’s five runs were earned.
Merced improved to 20-3. Its quarterfinal opponent, Rocklin, finished third in the powerful Sierra Foothill League and is 20-5 overall.
Rocklin beat Atwater, Merced’s CCC rival, 7-2 in the first round.
How other Merced County teams fared
- Division 3: Both CCC teams were shut out in the first round. Fourth-seeded Manteca crushed 13th-seeded Buhach Colony 17-0. El Capitan, seeded 14th, was blown out by third-seeded Vanden 14-0.
- Division 4: 11th-seeded Los Banos, another member of the CCC, lost 24-3 to sixth-seeded Del Campo.
- Division 5: Second-ranked Calaveras shutout out 15th-seeded Livingston 8-0.
- Division 6: Fifth-seeded Hilmar dominated 12th-seeded Mariposa 5-0 and will play fourth-seeded Bradshaw Christian in the quarterfinals. Eighth-seeded Stone Ridge Christian fell to ninth-seeded Summerville 11-4.
In Division 7, top-seeded Le Grand, which had a bye in the first round, will play eighth-seeded Rio Vista in a quarterfinal at home on Friday at 4 p.m. Rio Vista advanced via forfeit by Delta Charter.
