Softball Recap: Ponderosa Finds Playoff Glory Versus Merced

Bruins

Margin (Wins)

03/24/25 @ Rio Americano	18
02/24/25 @ Del Campo	18
04/23/25 vs Rio Americano	17
02/20/25 vs Union Mine	15
05/14/25 vs Antelope	12

It's playoff time, and Ponderosa had no trouble coming through when it counted. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Merced Bears on Friday. The Bruins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by six runs or more this season.

Ponderosa got a great performance from Haley Warney as she tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Warney has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Molly McFarland, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Ellie Escobar, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Ponderosa always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merced only posted an OBP of .286.

Ponderosa is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 15 contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Merced, their defeat ended an eight-game streak of away wins and brought them to 24-5-1.

Looking ahead, Ponderosa will challenge Vanden at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Vikings will roll in looking for their 16th straight win, something the Bruins surely won't give up without a fight. Merced does not have any more games scheduled as of now.