Softball Recap: Merced Snags 19th Win in Last 21 Games

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

Gregori typically has all the answers at home, but on Monday Merced proved too difficult a challenge. They were the clear victors by a 12-3 margin over the Jaguars. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matchups by six runs or more this season.

Annalise Ramirez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Maisen Priddell, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Antonia Lejarde, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.

They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Merced lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April.

Merced is on a roll lately: they've won 19 of their last 21 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.4 runs over those games. As for Gregori, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 16-10.

Merced and Gregori should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps California Rankings. The Bears will face off against Central Valley at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank advantage (187 vs. 625). Meanwhile, Gregori (ranked 412th) will meet Modesto (ranked 945th) at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.