Softball Recap: Atwater Snaps Three-Game Streak of Wins on the Road

Atwater dropped their record down to 18-6 on Thursday, which also ended the team's three-game streak of wins on the road. They took a 10-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Merced Bears. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Falcons, who until this match were averaging 3.42 runs allowed.

Madi Hiler made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one run.

As for Merced, the win was the 14th in a row for them, bringing their record up to 18-2-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games.

On Merced's side, Lillian Gallegos was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Gallegos a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Antonia Lejarde, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Atwater will have a little extra prep time after the loss as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Golden Valley at 4:00 p.m. on the 29th. As for Merced, they will take on Notre Dame (SO) in a tournament on Friday. The Knights' pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so the Bears' hitters will have their work cut out for them.