Softball Recap: Central Valley Has No Trouble Against Sierra

Hawks

Margin (Wins)

02/11/25 vs Pitman	24
02/26/25 @ Downey	13
02/22/25 vs El Capitan	12
03/05/25 @ Sierra	9
02/20/25 vs Riverbank	9

While Central Valley didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on the Sierra Timberwolves with a sharp 15-6 victory on Wednesday. Considering the Hawks have won five contests by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Brooklynn Steeley made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Reylena Herrera, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Abigail Krauss was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and one double.

Central Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .474. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Central Valley has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. This is the second loss in a row for Sierra and nudges their season record down to 3-2.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. It'll be a Battle of the Birds when Central Valley Hawks challenge Atwater Falcons at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Sierra, they will take on Central Catholic at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Sierra has given up an average of 8.4 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.