Softball Recap: Merced Takes Down Patterson in a Playoff Battle

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Merced walked away with it. They came out on top against the Patterson Tigers by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday. The victory was familiar territory for the Bears, who have now won six games in a row.

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

On the hitting side, Maisen Priddell was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Lillian Gallegos was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs.

Bears

Previous Games (Home)

05/14/25 vs Patterson	5-1
05/01/25 vs El Capitan	17-0
04/17/25 vs Atwater	10-7
04/16/25 vs Golden Valley	9-0
04/03/25 vs Buhach Colony	5-0
+ 8 more games

Merced pushed their record up to 24-4-1 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Patterson, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-14 record this season.

Merced will face off against Ponderosa at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The Bruins will roll in looking for their 11th straight win, something the Bears surely won't give up without a fight. Patterson does not have any more games scheduled as of now.