Nickles fires no-hitter in Merced softball win over Atwater

There are five Central California Conference softball teams who won’t mind when Merced High School star Madilyn Nickles moves on to UCLA.

Nickles threw five no-hitters last season.

The senior pitched her first no-hitter this season Wednesday and struck out 13 as the Bears opened CCC play with a 3-0 win over Atwater.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” Nickles said. “I wouldn’t say it wasn’t a struggle in the beginning, but I wasn’t throwing as well as I was at the end. I changed my mindset and really started thinking about each pitch instead of focusing on the overall picture.”

The Bears (4-2), who have won five consecutive CCC titles, scored two runs in the first inning against Atwater ace Cheyenne Mahy.

The Falcons (2-2) helped open the door with a defensive miscue as Merced freshman Ashlynn Chatham reached on an error with one out. With two outs, Mo Collins singled in Chatham, and Liliana Ramirez followed with an RBI double.

“They capitalized on an error in the first. You cannot give away runs when you’re facing the Bears,” Atwater coach Robert Santistevan said. “Our game plan was to stay disciplined at the plate, and we chased some pitches. Madilyn threw a good game.”

The Falcons managed to hit one ball out of the infield against Nickles, with Brittany Massa flying out to center to start the fourth inning.

Nickles did have to pitch out of a jam in the second, which was her doing. With one out, she walked Maritza Iglesias and then made an errant throw on a ball hit back to the circle by Mahy that put runners on first and second with one out.

Nickles pitched out of the jam with the help of a runner’s interference call and a strikeout.

“I knew I had to erase that throw from my mind and move on to the next batter,” Nickles said. “If I didn’t, it could have snowballed into other things. It’s nice to have teammates who got your back and tell you you’re good.”

Nickles surrendered two baserunners in the final five innings on a walk and hit batter and picked up 11 of her 13 strikeouts.

“My rise and drop were working,” Nickles said. “My offspeed wasn’t there. It was good that I was able to go up and down instead of east and west.”

Mahy pitched well to keep the Falcons in the game. The junior right-hander struck out seven, and only one of Merced’s three runs was earned.

Mahy pitched out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third with the help of a strikeout and a double play.

“I’m really proud of Cheyenne. The team really rallied behind her on defense,” Santistevan said. “She kept us in the game. We just came up a few hits short.”

Rheanne Lewis and Ashlynn Chatham each had two hits for Merced. Nickles tacked on the final run in the seventh with an RBI double.

Nickles has now thrown five consecutive shutouts against Atwater dating to her sophomore year and 38 consecutive scoreless innings against the Falcons.

“We played good,” Merced coach Bart McAfee said. “We’re very young. We’re just learning, and we have a long way to go. I figure (Atwater) will be one of the teams we’re competing with so this is a good win.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Nickles fires no-hitter in Merced softball win over Atwater."