Softball Game Preview: Los Banos Tigers vs. Merced Bears

Los Banos is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Thursday. They will welcome the Merced Bears at 4:00 p.m.

Los Banos is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Chowchilla just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Tribe by a score of 9-8.

Gracie Orozco

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/04/25 @ Chowchilla	3
04/25/24 vs Johansen	2
04/18/24 @ Grace Davis	2
02/27/25 @ Dos Palos	1
02/25/25 vs Pacheco	1

Gracie Orozco was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Shayla Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Merced, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Tuesday. They skirted past Le Grand 2-1.

Le Grand's batters probably weren't too happy with Annalise Ramirez, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 12 Ks (she gave up three walks). Ramirez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Merced saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lillian Gallegos, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-2.

Merced's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-2-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Los Banos, their loss dropped their record down to 4-2.

Los Banos skirted past Merced 5-3 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Does Los Banos have another victory up their sleeve, or will Merced turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.