Merced Bears (Merced, CA) backers exited the stadium thrilled Saturday as they saw their softball squad nip the host Waterford Wildcats (Waterford, CA), 7-4 in a non-league challenge.

The Bears now own a 5-2 record. They take the field next when they host Pitman for a Central California challenge on Wednesday, March 14. Merced will battle a Pride squad coming off a 7-5 non-league win over Los Banos (Los Banos, CA). The Pride record now stands at 4-4.

With the loss, Waterford falls to 2-1 on the campaign. The Wildcats travel to Ripon Christian (Ripon, CA) to battle the Knights in a Southern challenge on Tuesday, March 13. The Knights enter the challenge with a record of 0-3.