The Merced Bears will square off against the Rocklin Thunder at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Merced is coming into the contest hot, having won their last nine games.
Merced is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Lodi 6-5.
Annalise Ramirez
| 05/13/26 vs Lodi | 7 |
| 05/07/26 vs El Capitan | 14 |
| 05/05/26 @ Buhach Colony | 7 |
| 04/30/26 vs Atwater | 8 |
| 04/28/26 vs Golden Valley | 10 |
| + 2 more games |
Annalise Ramirez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Merced saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma Ramirez, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Rocklin was able to grind out a solid win over Atwater on Wednesday, taking the game 7-2.
Rocklin also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Payton Prior gave up just two earned runs on six hits and racked up 13 Ks.
On the hitting side, Addie Titlow was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Cat Alston was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Rocklin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Atwater only posted a batting average of .231.
Merced's record now sits at 20-3. As for Rocklin, their record is now 20-5.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Merced has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Rocklin struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
