Softball Recap: Exeter Victorious

Exeter barely beat McFarland the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Monarchs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Cougars an 11-0 shutout on Saturday. The win continues a trend for the Monarchs in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won three in a row.

Chloe Sparrow

Batters Struck Out

03/14/26 @ McFarland	11
03/14/26 vs Sierra	13
03/13/26 @ Avenal	12
03/11/26 vs Roosevelt	14
03/03/26 @ El Diamante	5
+ 3 more games

Chloe Sparrow made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mishka Mendez, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Natalia Ortiz, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

Exeter hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive games.

The victory got Exeter back to even at 4-4. As for McFarland, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.

Coming up, Exeter will venture away from home to challenge Lindsay at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Cardinals' pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so the Monarchs' hitters will have their work cut out for them. McFarland has already played their next contest (against Granite Hills), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.