Bears
| 03/07/26 vs Ripon | 3 |
| 03/07/26 vs El Capitan | 7 |
| 03/06/26 vs Stone Ridge Christian | 15 |
| 03/06/26 vs Ben Holt College Prep Academy | 7 |
| 02/24/26 vs Hughson | 1 |
Merced is 7-2 against Central Valley since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Bears will host the Hawks at 4:00 p.m. Merced is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Merced's tournament run continued when they took on Ripon on Saturday. The Bears fell just short of the Indians by a score of 4-3. The loss was the Bears' first of the season.
Macey Saucedo made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Cabral, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Central Valley made sure to put some runs up on the board against Riverbank on Monday. The Hawks put the hurt on the Bruins with a sharp 13-3 victory. The Hawks haven't had any issues with the Bruins recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Gabriela Delatorre spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Selah Chesney, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those RBI marked the first that she has brought in this season. Another player making a difference was Alicia Espinoza, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Central Valley's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Merced, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Central Valley's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Merced has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Central Valley, though, as they've been averaging only 2.2 strikeouts. Will Merced keep running through batters, or will the Hawks buck the trend?
Merced got the 'W' when the teams last played back in April of 2025 against Central Valley by a conclusive 11-3 score. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
