Le Grand softball claims section championship with 12-2 victory
The Le Grand High softball team claimed the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 championship on Saturday with a dominant victory at Delta College in Stockton.
The Bulldogs defeated Elliot Christian of Lodi 12-2 behind an explosive offense and a one-hitter pitched by junior Ava Avila. The game finished after six innings due to the section’s 10-run mercy rule.
A six-run third inning helped Le Grand build a 7-0 lead and the Bulldogs took an 8-2 advantage into the bottom of the sixth. A four-run explosion ended the game and gave Le Grand the blue banner that goes to the section champion.
Avila, who helped the Bulldogs win the title two years ago as a freshman, was nearly unhittable against Elliot Christian. She struck out nine batters and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning with two consecutive strikeouts.
It was the eighth softball section title for Le Grand, which outscored its three playoff opponents 41-2.
