After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Inderkum, Merced was happy to have turned things around on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Atwater Falcons, sneaking past 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted against the Falcons since May 12, 2022.
Annalise Ramirez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Merced's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Madison Cabral, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Merced hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Atwater struck out nine times.
Bears
| 04/14/26 @ Atwater | 2-1 |
| 04/02/26 @ Golden Valley | 18-0 |
| 03/24/26 @ Central East | 6-4 |
| 03/20/26 @ Orestimba | 5-0 |
| 03/16/26 @ Le Grand | 10-4 |
Merced pushed their record up to 12-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Atwater, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 9-6.
Looking ahead, Merced will welcome Buhach Colony at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Bears' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Thunder have averaged an impressive 8.7 runs per game this season. As for Atwater, they will challenge Golden Valley at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Falcons are facing the Cougars at the right time seeing as the Cougars are stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
