Softball Recap: Merced Makes It 12 in a Row at Home

Bears

Margin (Wins)

04/08/25 @ El Capitan	23
05/01/25 vs El Capitan	17
04/29/25 @ Buhach Colony	11
03/21/25 @ Buhach Colony	11
03/25/25 vs Los Banos	10

Merced won the last time they faced El Capitan and things went their way on Thursday too. The Bears were the clear victors by a 17-0 margin over the Gauchos. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 contests by six runs or more this season.

Haiden Priddell made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.

In other batting news, Merced got a massive performance out of Ava Waldron, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits Waldron has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Lillian Gallegos, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.

Merced always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as El Capitan only posted an OBP of .235.

Merced pushed their record up to 22-4-1 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for El Capitan, they are on a 32-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-19.

Looking ahead, Merced will square off against Gregori at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Bears' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Jaguars have averaged an impressive 8.9 runs per game this season. El Capitan does not have any more games scheduled as of now.